TezuRyo - After The Battle: Seigaku Edition
Title: After The Battle: Seigaku Edition
By; Gwynhafra
Pairing: Pillar Pair (TezuRyo)
Warning: Shonen-ai fic. Contains spoilers to the latest manga chapters.
Summary: Second fic for the After the Battle one-shots. They have won, and Tezuka smiled. He didn't think he'd ever smile again though, the day Ryoma left for the U.S.
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Tezuka’s POV
The Nationals ended. Time had passed so fast. It felt like just yesterday all of them had entered school for the start of the term, and it felt like just yesterday he was appointed captain, preparing to lead them to the final battle of junior high tennis.
In just the blink of an eye, the Nationals was over. All around him, his teammates were busy celebrating their win, having taken the title of champions away from the Rikkai kings. Needless to say, a certain first-year prodigy remained the centre of attention, as Momo and Kikumura took it upon themselves to put Echizen on a pedestal…figuratively speaking, of course.
Tezuka picked up his cup of tea, staring at it pensively before giving a slow sip. They had won the Nationals, Seigaku’s greatest dream. Earlier on, when Echizen had won, the other Seigaku regulars had promptly started tossing the first year into the air, and while Tezuka hadn’t joined in the ruckus, he too couldn’t help feeling the happiness at seeing Ryoma’s look of utter joy. In fact, he hadn’t noticed that he was wearing his thoughts on his face, at least, until Fuji had not so subtly pointed it out.
“I guess this is the kind of thing to finally make you smile.”
Tezuka went back to staring at his cup of tea. While he had smiled when the match ended, he had sobered almost immediately afterwards. He had done a lot of thinking, and he knew, instinctively, that there was no way Echizen would remain in Seigaku for long. Not with that underlying talent of his, now unleashed. He would not be confined to junior high tennis. No, he would most likely spread his wings, and take on the world instead.
Surely enough, after the prize giving ceremony, Echizen’s father, the former samurai Nanjirou had mentioned that he was going to recommend Echizen as a pro. The rest of the regulars’ reactions had ranged from gladness to reluctance. Tezuka remained expressionless. Even though he had expected that, his heart felt heavy anyway. Echizen, for his part, was expressionless too, so Tezuka couldn’t tell if the prodigy was glad or disgruntled that his father had made this decision without consulting him first. It took just a few calls on Nanjirou’s part and the prodigy was well on his way to the U.S. Open. It was thanks to that they were at Kawamura Sushi, to celebrate their win in the Nationals, and also to send Echizen off.
At the moment, Tezuka didn’t think he’d ever smile again. He continued to frown at his inanimate cup of tea, looking like the poor object had offended him.
“Tezuka.” Fuji came to sit next to him. Tezuka acknowledged the tensai with a soft “Hn.”, though he kept his gaze on his tea.
Fuji maintained his smile on his face, even as he nodded towards the tables, where all the other regulars were squabbling over the last few bits of sushi. “You’re not going to join them?”
Tezuka remained quiet, making the answer obvious. Fuji shook his head. “Tezuka. Just when I finally thought that you’re not a tree as most of them claim, you have to prove me wrong again.”
The tensai picked up one of the wasabi sushi and popped it into his mouth. “He’s leaving, you know. After this.”
‘I know.’ The words were unspoken, but it was the only thing on his mind the whole time.
The tensai said nothing more, but after a while, he gave a soft sigh. “Well, I’ll be joining them. You had better join in too, before it’s time to leave.” With that, the tensai left. Tezuka threw a brief glance over at him, noticing that the tensai had headed to Seigaku’s young star of the day. He averted his gaze immediately, deciding that he preferred staring at his cup of tea. At least he could entertain his thoughts in peace.
The others continued to celebrate, all ignoring the uncharacteristically quiet captain sitting all by himself. The next person to approach him was Oishi, having finally managed to disentangle himself from his chirpy doubles partner, who had been treating him as a plush toy the whole time.
Oishi occupied the same seat Fuji had, and he gave Tezuka a worried look. “Tezuka, do you really have to sit over here all by yourself?”
‘I prefer to be alone.’ He didn’t need to say that out loud. His best friend had known him long enough anyway. The others didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, and didn’t approach him even though he was seated here all by himself. So far, only Fuji and Oishi noticed…and Inui too, if that glance the data master threw in his direction once in a while was anything to go by.
Oishi gave a sigh, seemingly able to sense his friend’s inner turmoil. The motherhen was the most emphatic member of the team anyway. “Tezuka…are you never going to tell him?”
Tezuka’s already chaotic mind fell into turbulence. Throughout the months, Tezuka had recognized Echizen’s underlying talents, and taking his responsibilities as a captain seriously, he provided a guiding hand to the prodigy, wanting to nurture him as the next pillar of Seigaku. Yamato had entrusted him with that task anyway. Somewhere along the way, however, his feelings towards Echizen had digressed from that of a captain towards a club member to something else, something highly inappropriate. Good grief…he felt like a pervert.
“No.” Tezuka finally spoke up. He doubted Echizen felt the same way about him. That guy was literally a tennisexual. If Tezuka told him his feelings, it will only be a burden to Echizen’s mind, one which would be carried with him to the U.S.
Oishi gave a sigh. “Honestly, Tezuka. You have more courage than this. If you don’t tell him soon, he’d be gone before you know it.”
“I’m his captain.” He stated bluntly.
“Not anymore.” Oishi was quick to point that out. The Nationals was over. It was time for him to pass that title to someone else.
“It’s inappropriate.” Tezuka insisted stiffly.
Oishi was quiet for a while. He gave Tezuka a weak smile before speaking up again. “You haven’t changed at all, Tezuka. Not since I have known you as a freshman. You prefer to make sacrifices, as long as you think it’s for someone’s benefit. Even now, when we’re about to graduate, you still refuse to admit that you like him. What are you afraid of, Tezuka?”
Tezuka tightened his grip on his tea. His best friend really knew him too well. He chanced a glance in Echizen’s direction. The golden-hazel eyed prodigy was looking pretty bored, even though Momoshiro and Kikumaru were chattering happily on either side of him.
Looking at the prodigy, Tezuka admitted in his heart that he was indeed afraid. He knew that Echizen looked up to him very highly. The prodigy took him as a rival he must surpass and defeat, and also as a role model. If he stepped past that line, he’d be betraying the trust Echizen had towards him, and their current captain-junior relationship would be ruined. Tezuka was afraid of that.
He gave an inward sigh. It was better if he kept this to himself. Echizen would not need to know something which would burden him. If he truly liked Echizen, this was the least he could do for him.
Echizen’s POV
He knew.
He had known for a long time already…or at least, he’d like to think that he was fairly accurate with his interpretations of the wooden block captain’s actions. Ryoma had a reputation of being the club’s cocky, apathetic rookie, but he was also more observant than most people give him credit for. His teammates believe that his observation skills were limited to only the courts, but that was not the case. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t apply his insight to situations unrelated to tennis. He just chose not to. It was troublesome.
However, with Tezuka making his hints so obvious, he didn’t need much insight to read between the lines.
Tezuka had feelings for him…
It had started shortly after he had enrolled in Seishun Gakuen, and had registered for Seigaku tennis club. The stoic captain had taken notice of him after his impromptu demonstration of tennis thanks to Arai-senpai. From then onwards, the captain had been present to watch all his matches, if he could, and Echizen couldn’t help feeling rather smug over the attention. None of the other regulars had this privilege from Tezuka, unless Ryoma’s match wasn’t going on.
With how Horio and the other two described Tezuka, he seemed to be an enigmatic captain, one who drew people to him with his charisma, yet exuded a sort of aura to keep people away from him at the same time, to the point that only the regulars really dared to talk to him. Ryoma didn’t think so though. He had spoken to the captain on a number of occasions, asking him about tennis, of course, and each time Tezuka gave him either a silent look, which was a reply in itself, or the captain would give a verbal answer to his question. While usually he would speak in short sentences, the captain would give further explanation though, if he felt that Ryoma didn’t understand what he was saying.
Ryoma could remember the time Tezuka explained to him about the Tezuka Zone and the Tezuka Phantom. They had been the last ones left in the clubroom, having played a match earlier on, and as they were changing, Tezuka gave him the precise details of the Tezuka Zone. Ryoma had never seen Tezuka speak so much before, and he was so engrossed with the explanations that he had completely forgotten that he was half-dressed, with only one of his hands in his sleeve. It was only after he noticed the odd look Tezuka was giving him did he remember to put his shirt on properly.
Ryoma was glad to be the only one Tezuka seemed to be paying special attention to, or at least, that was how he saw it. He liked the fact that he was the only one who could drive Tezuka out of his usually controlled character, like what had happened after the junior senbatsu camp. It was during the junior senbatsu camp did Ryoma realize that he liked Tezuka…in a way a junior wasn’t supposed to feel for a captain two years his senior. He wasn’t too worried though. Tezuka liked him anyway, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Apparently yes…
Ryoma frowned as he threw another glance at the captain seated all by himself at the counter, quietly sipping on his tea. His senpai-tachi didn’t seem to notice that Tezuka was uncharacteristically more quiet than usual. He had never seen the wooden block look so gloomy before, a contrast to the chirpy seniors around him, who were all acting like he had won the Grand Slam instead of the Nationals. He didn’t know why was Tezuka looking so upset, or why was he so upset, but at that moment, he had the strong urge to shake the captain.
Didn’t Tezuka realize that he was the reason Ryoma could win the match? Throughout Ryoma’s time in Seigaku, the captain had been the one to encourage him most, making him realize his true feelings for tennis. His feelings for tennis couldn’t compare to his feelings for Tezuka though. When he had amnesia, he had forgotten all about tennis…but he hadn’t forgotten Tezuka.
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t tired during his match against Yukimura. He’d be inhuman if he were still at his best condition when he played against the child of kami, when he had been playing against all of his past rivals prior to the final match.
He was exhausted, his stamina drained past its usual limits. However, he was not alone. Tezuka was watching him, as he always did. Those light brown eyes were trained on him throughout the match, supporting him silently. Even as Ryoma’s body felt like it would shut down on him, Tezuka’s voice had cut through the fog in his tired mind, causing his energy levels to spike.
“Now, Echizen. Be the Pillar of Seigaku.”
He wouldn’t allow himself to lose. He was Seigaku’s Pillar of Strength. He was Tezuka’s pillar. Using everything he had, he hit the two halves of the ball Yukimura had managed to return, and directed the halves on either side of the Rikkai captain, winning the match instantly.
--
A low chuckle brought Ryoma out of his thoughts. Inui was holding his video recorder before him, and was studying it intently. Ryoma threw a peek at what he was watching, and realized it was a recording of the Nationals, or at least, a recording of the scene right after the final match.
He blinked when he realized that Inui had zoomed in on the Seigaku captain, and Ryoma saw the smile Tezuka had accidentally let slip on his face. That brought a small smile to Ryoma’s face too, as he remembered that he had caught that expression with his own eyes. It made the win all the more worth it.
The smile slipped from his face, replaced by a scowl instead. If Tezuka really liked him, then why wouldn’t he say anything? He would be leaving in a few days time, so would the baka buchou just spit it out already?
“Why don’t you head over to sit there instead?” Ryoma blinked when he heard Fuji’s voice. He hadn’t heard Fuji make his way over to him. The tensai had caught him staring at the captain, and was now smiling in a way which made Ryoma wonder what was going on in that mind of his.
Right at that precise moment, Inui switched off the video recording and turned over to face Ryoma too. The prodigy couldn’t help feeling that Inui had allowed him to see that smile on purpose. Both the Seigaku data master and tensai sat facing him, and Ryoma couldn’t help feeling rather intimidated. Momoshiro and Kikumaru had moved to join Kaidou’s table instead, leaving him the only one at the table with the two scary seniors.
“You know, Echizen. It’s not such a bad idea to make the first move sometimes.” Inui commented.
Ryoma scowled. “Yadda.” He wanted Tezuka to be the one to make the first move. If the captain wouldn’t say anything, then neither would he.
Fuji nicked a wasabi sushi from the plate before popping it into his mouth. He chewed leisurely for a while before speaking up. “We’ve known Tezuka for a longer time than you have, and well…one thing about Tezuka, is that he’s very reserved when it comes to talking, especially if it’s anything personal.”
Ryoma threw a glance in the captain’s direction. Oishi was talking to him now, and by the looks of it, the conversation was fairly one-sided, even though the speaker was the captain’s best friend. Fuji had a point.
Still, Ryoma remained stubborn. “If he has something to say to me, then he’d better do so before I leave. If not, I’m not going to bother waiting for him to speak up.” He insisted.
Fuji sighed and cradled his head in his hand. “Honestly…the both of you are just too alike.” Inui nodded at that, even as he continued to scribble in his notebook.
Oishi seemed to have given up on trying to get to talk to Tezuka, and the two now sat quietly in their seats. Tezuka continued to sip on his tea, not once looking in Ryoma’s direction.
The prodigy glared at the captain’s back. Baka buchou!
XXX
General POV/Echizen’s POV
The atmosphere remained lively in Kawamura Sushi, despite the quietness of two pillars in particular.
Kikumaru had bounced over to Ryoma again, throwing one arm around the prodigy, who looked thoroughly disgusted. The acrobatic player took no offence though, as he continued to grin.
“Maa...ochibi. Don’t be so cold. We’re graduating soon, and you will be leaving us in a few days time, so all of us wouldn’t have the chance to celebrate like this anymore.”
“That’s right, Echizen.” Momoshiro had bounced back to the prodigy’s table.
Ryoma didn’t feel much like celebrating. His win today didn’t mean anything, if the captain remained as sullen as he was at that moment. He threw a silent glare in Tezuka’s direction, but the captain hadn’t look in his direction at all. Not even once.
Inui gave a sigh, closing his book as he muttered something which sounded like “bad data…”. He raised his voice, addressing all the regulars in the sushi shop. “Now then, we’ll be graduating after this. Who’s going to be the next captain and vice-captain. Since Echizen is leaving, it’s only going to be either Kaidou-kun or Momoshiro-kun, unless the captain has someone else in mind?”
There was a short moment of silence. Before Kikumaru was the first to speak up again, looking excited. “That’s right! It’s almost time to pass that position to someone. Ne, Tezuka. Is it Momo or Kaidou?”
Tezuka didn’t seem to have heard him though, and Oishi was the one who replied. “Maa…we haven’t really decided on that yet.”
Inui’s glasses glinted. “Oh. So you haven’t chosen who is going to be captain yet. If that’s the case, may I suggest Kaidou for that position? I have been his mentor for this year, and his doubles partner in numerous matches. If anything, he has proven to be a very versatile player, and he had improved a lot throughout the months. He would make a fine captain. What do you say, Tezuka?”
The captain seemed to realize he was being addressed. He stared blankly at Inui for a while. “…Aa…”
There was another round of silence before the explosion from Kikumaru. “Hoi?”
“Tezuka has chosen Kaidou as captain…” Kawamura sounded amazed. Most of them had expected Momo to be the captain, since Kaidou was the anti-social, while Momo was the hyper-social.
Tezuka blinked, seemingly coming out of his thoughts. “What?” He gave Oishi a questioning glance, silently asking him to explain what was going on.
“You’ve chosen Kaidou as captain.” Oishi explained gently.
Tezuka’s face was expressionless. After a while, he nodded. “Very well then. Kaidou will be captain.” ‘I will not go against my words once I’ve said it.’
Oishi gave a weak laugh. “Well, since Kaidou’s the captain, I will pass my position to Momo. We’ll be leaving the club to your hands.”
Momoshiro gave an enthusiastic “leave it to us” cheer, while Kaidou gave a weak hiss, still stunned at being appointed captain.
Ryoma glanced over at the captain again. To his surprise, Tezuka was looking in his direction. The two held each other’s gaze for a long while, ignoring all the commotion around them. The captain remained expressionless as ever, though Ryoma could see from his eyes that his guess of Tezuka’s feelings weren’t wrong. ‘If you really want me, then why wouldn’t you say anything? Say something!’ Ryoma tried to send that message through his gaze.
Tezuka turned away, breaking their eye contact.
The prodigy had enough. He stood abruptly, taking his bag with him. “I’m leaving.” He declared dully.
Kawamura was just about to serve some more sushi, and he was surprised by Ryoma’s statement. “So soon? It’s still early. Why don’t you take some sushi with you?”
The black-green haired teen shook his head. “I’m a little tired so I’m going to leave first. Thank you for the meal, Kawamura-senpai. Goodbye, minna.”
He didn’t know when had it happened, but Inui and Fuji had slinked over to Tezuka before anyone had noticed them. They spoke to him softly, and not even a minute later, the captain sprang to his feet too, taking his bag. “I’ll be taking my leave too. Thank you for your hospitality, Kawamura. Good night.” He strode over to Ryoma’s side. “I’ll walk with you. Is that alright?”
Ryoma blinked. Just how did Inui and Fuji manage to do that anyway? “Ah…hai.” He remained nonchalant, ignoring how Inui’s glasses had glinted, and how Fuji had given him a tiny wave, with a Cheshire cat grin plastered on his face. With that, he followed his former captain out of the door.
--
The walk home was uneventful. Ryoma was acutely aware of Tezuka’s presence next to him. He could hear Tezuka’s silent footsteps, and could hear the stoic brunette’s quiet breathing. He was already used to hearing these, since all these time he had trained himself to be attentive of the former captain’s presence, and would know when the brunette was near him even if he didn’t look up.
Now, his sense of hearing was more sensitized than usual, as he waited expectantly for Tezuka to speak up. To say something, anything at all.
That didn’t seem to be the case though, as they had already been walking for 20 minutes, and Tezuka kept his gaze ahead, his body language indicating that he wasn’t in the mood to start a conversation. It looked like when Tezuka said that he’d walk him home, that was precisely what he was going to do, and was not interested in anything besides walking. Ryoma gave up, as he sighed, staring resolutely ahead. It looked like that was that then.
The sound must have been louder than he thought, for at long last, the wooden block captain inclined his head slightly, staring down at him. “What’s wrong, Echizen?”
“Nothing.” He bit back. How did he come to have feelings towards someone so oblivious again?
Another five minutes passed without conversation. It wouldn’t take long now before Ryoma reached his house. Just when the prodigy thought that Tezuka wasn’t going to say anything, the brunette finally spoke up.
“You did well, Echizen.”
Ryoma blinked. He looked up at Tezuka in confusion, his mind not quite following the older teen’s train of thought. Tezuka returned the stare calmly. “The Nationals. You’ve proven yourself to be a true pillar of Seigaku. You did well.” ‘And I’m proud of you.’
Tezuka hadn’t said his thoughts out loud, but Ryoma could roughly make out the unspoken words from his voice. Suddenly, the prodigy felt that his victory was worth it after all. “Doomo.”
Ryoma lowered his gaze to Tezuka’s arm. “How is the injury?”
Tezuka touched his left arm with his right lightly. “It’s healing. The doctors mentioned that I have to take it easy for a few months. It’s nothing permanent.”
“Heh. You’re going pro after that?”
“Aa. I’ll be going to Germany once I’ve recovered.”
That was the only small talk they could make, as they had reached Ryoma’s house. Ryoma threw a glance at the brunette, hoping to hear Tezuka say something else before he went inside, The brunette stared back at him wordlessly, and Ryoma gave a resigned sigh before heading for his house. “Good night, buchou.”
“Echizen.” Tezuka’s voice made him halt in his tracks. He stared back at the bespectacled teen expectantly.
“I’m not your captain anymore, so don’t call me that.”
Ryoma wanted to throw something at him. Was that all he had to say?
Tezuka adjusted his hold on his bag. “Do your best in the U.S., Echizen.” He spoke stiffly. “Good night.” With that, he walked away.
Ryoma’s heart fell. Tezuka would never say it to him now, would he? Should he stop hoping?
XXX
General POV/Tezuka’s POV
It was pretty crowded.
Tezuka watched as the people bustled about him, hurrying to various departure gates even as a prerecorded voice made broadcasts above him. He glanced up at the board, checking for the departure time to New York. It wouldn’t be long now.
A whole family was going emotional somewhere on his left, and Tezuka watched as the parents embraced their grown up child, who was most likely going to another country for tertiary education. He turned to his former regulars, who were equally emotional too. Or at least, Momo and Kikumaru were.
“Don’t forget us, ochibi!” Kikumaru had his arms wrapped around the black-green haired prodigy and was squeezing him like a plush doll.
“Go out there and show them what you’ve got, Echizen.” Momoshiro patted the boy on the shoulder, while biting on his lower lip and trying very hard to keep himself composed. He wasn’t very successful though, with how his eyes and nose were getting slightly red.
All the former regulars were present to send the prodigy off, as were Ryusaki-sensei’s granddaughter, her best friend Osakada, Horio, Kachiro and Katsuo. Echizen’s parents were here too, the samurai Nanjirou and a red haired, female version of Echizen. The red-haired woman seemed pretty calm, smiling as she watched her son’s friends fuss over him. It was Nanjirou who was becoming slightly emotional, as he muttered something under his breath which sounded like, “Who’s going to play tennis with me now…”
Echizen for his part seemed pretty calm, as he stood there with his arms full of farewell gifts his friends and family had given him. Tezuka watched as the prodigy was currently being lectured by Oishi, who was already worrying over the boy even though he hadn’t boarded the plane yet.
The announcement was made for the flight to New York. First call for boarding. Tezuka initially thought that he was strong enough to send Echizen off, to watch as the prodigy walk away. However, after the recorded voice had ended, Tezuka realized that he couldn’t bear to see that. He excused himself quickly, heading to the washroom, deciding to remain there for the rest of the time, until Echizen had boarded the plane.
Tezuka turned on the tap, removed his glasses, and splashed some water on his face. He lifted his face, facing the mirror, and his reflection stared back tiredly at him. Good grief. He hadn’t had much sleep yesterday, struck by a rare bout of insomnia.
He remained there until he heard the announcement again. Flight to New York, second call for boarding. Echizen was probably on board the plane by now. Time for him to leave here too. He straightened up, putting his glasses on again…and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Echizen’s reflection in the mirror, standing just a few feet behind him.
He spun around. Surely enough, the younger teen stood there, staring at him with an intense gaze. Tezuka couldn’t really read Echizen’s expression, but he could tell that the prodigy wasn’t happy about something.
“Are you not going to send me off?” Echizen asked quietly. ‘Are you going to let me go just like that?’
Tezuka didn’t know what he could say to that. How did the black-green haired teen know he was here anyway?
“Echizen…” For a long while, they just stood there, not saying anything. Again, Tezuka faced an inner battle, he wanted to confess, to tell the prodigy of his feelings, but at the same time, he didn’t want that confession to be a burden. He swallowed. He would just keep that to himself then. “You should be boarding.” Was what came out of his lips.
There was a strange glint in the prodigy’s golden hazel eyes. “What if I don’t want to, buchou?”
Tezuka felt an odd surge of joy at that, though he squashed it down. “This is a rare opportunity for you, Echizen. You should take the chance while you have it. Also, don’t call me that. I’m not your captain anymore.”
“Then stop acting like you’re still my captain!” Again that intense stare. “Also, shouldn’t you be the one taking chances too?”
Tezuka could read between the lines. Echizen knew about his feelings, and he wanted Tezuka to say it. He couldn’t bring himself to say the words though. Another few moments passed in silence. After a long while, Echizen turned away.
“I understand. Goodbye then, buchou.” He turned away, and Tezuka averted his gaze too. It was better this way.
“Buchou?” Echizen’s slightly confused voice made him open his eyes again. He blinked, looking down to see that apparently he had reached out and grabbed Echizen’s arm without realizing it, stopping the younger boy from walking away. This was the second time he had lost control and made a grab for the boy, with the first time being when the prodigy had accepted Kevin Smith’s challenge for a match.
“Echizen…I…” Tezuka just couldn’t bring himself to say it though. He didn’t want Echizen to go, but the prodigy and his talents did not belong here. He had kept Echizen under his wings long enough. It was about time the boy soared, to find out his unlimited potential on the courts as a pro. If Tezuka said it, he felt that Echizen would be bound here, bound to him. “I…” He tightened his grip on the prodigy’s arm, even as he battled his internal struggle.
Echizen walked over to him, seemingly sensing his inner turmoil. “I know…buchou…” He stood right in front of the taller boy and, going on tiptoes, brushed his lips lightly against Tezuka’s cheek. Tezuka’s eyes widened, his resolve crumbling instantly as he wrapped his arms around the younger boy, not wanting to let go.
Echizen returned the embrace, as he rested his head against Tezuka’s chest. Tezuka didn’t need to say the words. Echizen understood them anyway. “You were always my pillar. Thank you…for being my support, buchou.”
Right at that moment, the announcement was made again. Flight to New York, last call for boarding. Very reluctantly, Tezuka let the prodigy go.
Echizen stepped away. “I’ll see you then, buchou.”
“Aa.” The boy walked away, though before he did, Tezuka called him again, making him turn around. “I’ll go pro too after I’ve recovered. We’ll see each other on the courts again. Wait for me, Echizen.”
At long last, Echizen smiled. “Uisu. By the way, it’s Ryoma.”
“Aa. I’ll see you then, Echizen…Ryoma.” Tezuka allowed the smile to appear on his face once more. It wasn’t goodbye. They would see each other again. That was a promise.
XXX
A year later
“I’ll remember this!”
Ryoma watched disinterestedly as his opponents scrambled away from him, dragging along their fallen comrades as they did so. They had been a bunch of ruffians bullying a young boy, who seemed to be new at tennis. Ryoma thought he’d teach them a lesson in tennis instead.
“Ceh. It’s ended so fast.” He turned when he heard familiar footsteps, and smiled when he spotted Tezuka walking over to him.
“Are you doing that again, Ryoma? You love to throw challenges to anyone you see, don’t you?” The brunette chided lightly, even as he adjusted his hold on his tennis bag.
“Ceh. I got bored, buchou.” Ryoma fell into step with the other teen. Tezuka was a pro too, and since the tournaments were held in the U.S. currently, the brunette was able to come over from Germany.
“You still haven’t stopped calling me that. When are you going to call me by my name instead?” Tezuka sighed, ruffling the younger boy’s hair.
Ryoma took his hand. “Yadda.” He smirked playfully. He looked up at the older teen. “Shall we go for a game of tennis? It’s a date then.”
Tezuka smiled, giving his boyfriend’s hand a light squeeze. “Aa.”