[Fic] Data Obsessions
I haven’t written something this long in…ages. I don’t even know how this happened; at first it was just a tiny little Tezu/Eiji idea…and somehow it morphed into this crack-filled monster >_<; Apparently, my writing mojo works better when I’m working with crack. XD (This is the reason why I love this fandom so much.)
Title: Data Obsessions
Genre: Crack/humor, and a little bit of fluff
Pairing/s: Tezuka/Eiji. And Inui/Data? :D I swear I have a thing for pairing people with inanimate objects…
Length: ~1700 words
For: hibimaosuki♥ Well, you already knew I--or rather my brain--was going to give in sooner or later. XDD
Additional Notes: Reference to a scene after the Nationals finals match (chapter 379), and obviously influenced by that one chibi!Tenipuri episode.
Summary: Inui will do anything for data.
Inui smirked. Reading The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Being a Ninja Spy from cover to cover and making extensive notes of it had actually paid off. He now had priceless data in his hands. And quite literally too, he thought as he idly flapped the picture, his smile growing and a low ‘fu fu fu’ escaping his lips. Scribbling a few more words into his ever-present notebook, he thought of what to do next. The next logical thing to do would be…
“Ah.” He pushed his glasses up a little, making the light reflect off the lenses.
Of course. Gathering data was a never-ending process, after all. He smiled deviously, his mind already making plans to pull off this newest experiment.
xox
Echizen rubbed his eyes, still a little sleepy. Ever since the tennis season ended, he felt a lot less motivated to wake up early. The mornings were getting chilly too, and staying in bed with Karupin curled up against him was far more pleasant than getting up and going to school.
Opening his locker, he blinked when he saw something on top of his shoes. Taking it out, he flipped it up and stared.
It was a picture.
The corner of his lips twitched a little. “Hmmm.” Replacing the picture in his locker, he changed shoes and headed to his classroom.
xox
Inui took care to slip quietly into the clubroom. It was lunchtime and no one was around, but it was infinitely better to be cautious than to be caught before he even had a chance to get the precious data. Remembering, he rubbed his hands together gleefully.
Now, to the data… He took out the portable player from his backpack and carefully placed it on the bench, setting the stack of tapes beside it. Next, he took out his data notebook #53 and pen, and settled himself comfortably on the floor. All preparations ready, he pushed up his glasses and played the first video.
The first was Echizen’s. Inui scribbled on his notebook. Echizen’s reaction was quite what he had expected, though the tiny smirk that appeared for a split-second was intriguing. He wondered what was going through the rookie’s mind when he saw the picture. Hmm. He would have to follow up on him.
Second was Momoshiro’s. He watched as the junior flapped around, obviously distressed as the second bell rang. Momoshiro quickly opened his locker, changed his shoes and ran. The picture floated to the floor, where it lay ignored. Inui wrote down, Momoshiro - failure. Perhaps find a way to make him wake earlier for him to be a viable subject for the next experiment?
He loaded the next tape. Kaidou entered the screen, looking like he’d had a morning run before coming to school. Inui nodded approvingly. He watched as the 2nd year’s eyes widened as he stared at the picture. Kaidou glanced around, and when he was sure no one else was there, stuffed the picture into his bag and quickly changed his shoes, hissing. Inui made a mental note: follow Kaidou home to see what he does with the picture. He wrote it down on the notebook too, for added measure.
Next was Kawamura. Inui had a strange feeling that the timid 3rd year was going to go into burning mode, but surprisingly, it didn’t happen. Kawamura only looked at the picture and scratched his head, murmuring, “How did this get in here?” before he slipped the picture into his pocket, changed his shoes and left, still looking confused. Inui tapped the pen to his chin. He would have to intercept Kawamura if he planned to leave the picture at the lost and found section. It wouldn’t do to leave the picture lying around, open to the fangirls. No; if the fangirls wanted a copy, they would have to come to him, offering some data on the regulars or maybe an ingredient he could add to the Inui juice… But that was an entirely different matter. He pushed his glasses up and moved on to the next tape.
Oishi opened his locker, took the picture and…had a heart attack. Or rather, he looked like he just had a heart attack, what with the unbelievable shock on his face. His mouth struggled to form words, until finally, he let out a strangled, “T-Tezuka…” Then he promptly fainted. “Hm,” Inui murmured. Oishi gave a very good response, but Inui felt it was not enough. Visit Oishi in the infirmary. There is a 68% chance that he will have a nightmare and sleeptalk. He nodded, satisfied.
Then, it was Fuji’s tape. The tensai’s eyes opened for a full second, surprise as well as something else, glinting in those blue orbs. Then they were closed again, and Fuji chuckled lightly. Inui shivered a little. He hadn’t identified what that something in Fuji’s eyes was, and the tensai having something up his sleeve was never a good thing. He might have figured out what was going on… Inui glanced down at his backpack and patted it. Good thing he brought a jug full of his newest creation. If it meant he had to bribe, he’d do it. All for data.
Kikumaru’s tape was next. He watched as the redhead blinked, letting out a confused “Nya?” then took the picture out of his locker. He blinked again as he stared at the picture.
And blushed.
It was Inui’s turn to blink. He paused the video and hit rewind. Yes, it was a blush, no doubt about it. Inui adjusted his glasses, a smile creeping onto his face. Interesting.
He was about to put the last tape in when the door banged open. “Inui!!”
Inui turned, hiding the tape in his hand. He would not be deprived of data on Tezuka. No matter that it was Tezuka himself standing in the doorway, glaring at him. “A-ah, Tezu-”
“100 LAPS AROUND THE COURTS!”
Tennis season was over, and technically Tezuka wasn’t the captain anymore, but Inui did not argue. Instead, he discreetly slipped the tape into his pocket, then stood and began his laps.
xox
Eiji was just passing by when he saw Inui running laps, with Tezuka watching him closely, scowling. He went to stand beside him and asked, “Nya, Tezuka? Why is Inui doing laps?”
Tezuka’s only reply was the thinning of his lips and his scowl darkening.
The redhead watched his buchou. Even when he looked angry, his eyebrows scrunched together, Eiji found him captivating. Not as captivating as he was when he was playing tennis, concentration all on the ball and the opponent before him, sweat dripping down his body and muscles flexing, but still…beautiful.
Then he blinked. What the heck? Where did all that come from? He shook his head furiously to clear it from any…wayward thoughts. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Tezuka turning his head to look at him, and Eiji blushed. He dipped his head to let his hair hide the redness of his cheeks.
Mou! He never had these kinds of thoughts before! This all started when he saw that picture in his locker! Eiji reddened even more. Then it struck him. “AH!!”
Tezuka inclined his head at him again, eyebrows raised. “What?”
“Inui! He’s the one who put the picture in my locker! Is that why he’s running laps?” When there was no answer, Eiji glanced at him. “Tezuka?”
Tezuka wasn’t looking at him. In fact, he was looking at everything but him. He’s uncomfortable, Eiji realized. He’s embarrassed. He had to say something, something… “You know, you have a beautiful smile. You should smile more often! It suits you!”
Tezuka stared at him, and Eiji rejoiced a little. He’s looking at me again! Then he realized what he had just said. His hand immediately clamped his mouth shut-as if it would help; he’d already said it!-and the blush returned, full force. They stared at each other, until Eiji caught sight of Fuji.
“I-I have to go!” he blurted out, then fled, cursing himself all the while.
xox
Tezuka watched Kikumaru as the redhead ran to Fuji, who smiled and waved at him. Then he looked back to Inui, still running, and tried to gather his thoughts.
He should be thinking about that picture that Inui had taken upon himself to distribute among the regulars. He should be thinking about how Inui was able to take a picture of that rare moment when he let go and actually smiled, while he was sharing the feeling of victory with his teammates. He should be thinking about how to get rid of the evidence. He should be thinking about a hundred different things.
Instead, he was thinking about what Kikumaru had said. You know, you have a beautiful smile. You should smile more often! It suits you!
Suddenly, he heard footsteps. Tezuka glanced at the newcomer.
Echizen was smirking, watching Inui running around the courts. “Mada mada dane.”
“Hn.”
The freshman turned to him, and his smile grew cheekier. “You too, buchou. You’re blushing.”
Echizen was out of sight before he could open his mouth.
O M A K E !
Inui panted, gripping the water fountain to keep himself steady. He had finally finished his laps, but by then, afternoon practice was over, and everyone, from the first years to the seniors still hanging around, was asking why he was punished. Tezuka hadn’t said anything though, and from the way he glared, the other regulars didn’t even dare.
He knew to count himself lucky. Because he was caught during lunchtime, he didn’t have to do his laps in one go, instead having to finish after afternoon classes ended. He also still had the tape safely in his pocket, waiting to be viewed at the safety of his home. And he had seen what had transpired between Tezuka and Kikumaru earlier. He smiled. Indeed, he was lucky.
“Here’s your towel, Inui.”
Inui looked up, and saw Fuji smiling at him, proffering a towel. “Thanks,” he said, taking the towel and wiping his face with it.
“About the picture…”
He knew the tensai was going to bring it up. “Yes?”
Fuji opened his eyes and gave him a deceptively innocent smile. “You really should let me handle the picture-taking.”
Inui smiled back. “Of course.”
He hadn’t needed to use the jug of Inui Juice, after all.
I love brat!Echizen :D And Fuji. And trying-to-be-sneaky-but-always-failing!Inui. Okay, actually? I love them all. ♥