Synchronicity
Title: Synchronicity
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis doesn't belong to me... I just borrow the characters for my muse to play with.
Rating: PG-13
Warning/Info: Fluff, time skips
Pairing: Silver Pair/ToriShishi
A/N: Was supposed to have been written for the 31_days prompt for May 27th "synchronicity" but I kept getting stuck since this is the first time I've written PoT fic and this pairing. This isn't the only pairing I like from PoT but I was really inspired by everlind (what she is to torishishi is like what rii is to byaren). Hope it doesn't read too badly, since it's my first time and I wanted to do something like an overview of their relationship.
If anyone told him before the summer selection camp six years ago that they would be the second pair of middle school students to achieve conscious ‘synchro’ in a competition match, Shishido would have believed it.
They had beaten Seigaku’s Golden Pair in the Nationals, even after they activated ‘synchro’ unconsciously. After watching their opponents defeat Rikkai’s Platinum Pair in the finals by activating ‘synchro’ consciously, they decided to go one-up on them. As a third year, despite having to focus on the upcoming high school admission exams, he had immediately resumed intensive practice with Choutarou once they had received invitations for the summer U-17 selection camp.
Shishido was determined not to lose again.
In spite of that, he still lost to Choutarou in the elimination matches between the middle school students.
Failure had never stopped him and when he eventually returned, with Hiyoshi, Oishi, Sanada, the first year brats and the rest of the defeated middle school students, Shishido knew he had yet again surpassed his limit.
It did not surprise him when he and Choutarou finally achieved their first ever conscious ‘synchro’ during a placing match against a pair of high school students during the camp.
He had however refused to believe Gakuto back then during the summer camp, when he had teased, “Are both of you planning to get together sometime soon, like the Golden Pair?”
“Choutarou and me? We’re already playing together in doubles.”
“Nope, I didn’t mean that. I mean, get together as a couple, like holding hands and kissing, you know.”
“You must be joking, Gakuto. Is Oshitari influencing you again?”
“Yeah, there’s nothing between me and Shishido-san. We’re just good friends.” Watching the silver-haired second-year protest earnestly next to him - they were seating next to each other and opposite the redhead in the canteen having dinner - Shishido felt an unexplainable sense of relief.
That vanished in an instant when Oshitari appeared with his tray. “Are you sure you both haven’t been touching each other for longer than you should? You are rooming with the Golden Pair after all. It might be contagious.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Finishing up the food on his plate, he looked over and noticed that his partner was done. “You done, Choutarou? Let’s go before we have to listen to any more of this rubbish.”
It was only two years later that Shishido realised that Seigaku’s Oishi and Eiji were really a couple, and that Oshitari had at some point been with Gakuto. Hearing Jirou say during practice that Oshitari “played doubles in bed with Gakuto in between his girlfriends” had pretty much shocked him into losing the practice match he had been playing, though he had been ahead by 4-0.
Four years on, Oshitari and Gakuto had gotten together, this time permanently, and Oishi and Eiji had moved in with each other a couple of months ago - he still met the Golden Pair occasionally for lunch. He missed playing doubles; no other partner than Choutarou seemed to do it for him however, and with Choutarou studying music overseas, he hardly ever played.
Shishido felt lonely.
Two bottles of beer later, he met Oshitari and Gakuto earlier for dinner before they headed to a bar, he blurted out unconsciously, “I wonder how Choutarou’s doing in New York…” Looking up, he found the couple grinning at each other - he wondered sometimes how he managed to put up with them since they met in middle school - and instantly realised something was up.
“Pay up, Yuishi. It’s been a six year wait, but you see, I was right all this time. I told you he’d realise it eventually.”
“Just a minute. Let me ask him a few questions first just to be sure.”
Still not entirely sure what was going on despite suspecting something, Shishido found Oshitari looking at him intently with a smirk on his face and frowned. “What’s up with you two and what sort of questions do you want to ask?”
“Aren’t you the one who keeps in contact with Ootori the most?”
“Well, yeah, but he’s preparing for a performance now, so he hasn’t got the time to reply…”
“So… do you miss him?”
“I miss playing tennis with him. I kinda miss hanging out with him. What’s with the question? I mean, don’t you guys miss having him around when we meet up with Atobe and the gang?”
“Yes… but that’s not the point of the question. Do you miss him more than anyone else?”
“… There isn’t anyone else I’m that close to who’s studying overseas. Atobe’s flying back and forth, so it doesn’t seem like he’s overseas. Maybe?”
That reply was accompanied by what sounded like a giggle from Gakuto. “Yuishi, he just about admitted it.”
“No, I don’t think he actually realises it yet.”
“Can both of you stop bickering in front of me and ask me what the hell you guys bet on that has to do with me?” Glaring at the pair, he waited for the question. It was close to midnight and he had a rather early class tomorrow.
“Shishido, do you like Choutarou?”
“Go fuck yourself, Oshitari.”
“I’m right, he still hasn’t realised it yet. You owe me that tonight, since I’ve already asked the question.”
“If that’s all, I’m off.” Picking up his bag, Shishido stood, not interested to watch Oshitari and Gakuto start making out in front of the entire bar, especially not with the redhead pouting like that.
“You know, Shishido, you might not have realised it, but you probably care more about Choutarou than any of your previous girlfriends, and talk to him more as well. Go think about it.”
In spite of his irritation as he left without a wave of goodbye, Gakuto’s words remained firmly in his mind, as if it was a reminder of what he said six years ago.
~~~
“I was in New York for a business meeting, so I happened to stop by for Ootori’s recital. Here’s the recording.”
It took about a minute for Shishido to figure out what exactly Atobe was saying in English, with that haughty English accent he had developed after studying in Cambridge for three years, before toning down his glare and picking up the disc placed on the table.
English was still not his strongest subject, but he had put quite some effort into learning it, since he was considering graduate studies overseas. He managed to understand most of it now; it was only the spoken form that occasionally gave him trouble.
“Ore-sama is hungry. Where is the waitress?”
After placing their orders - Shishido was thankful they were having lunch in a Japanese restaurant and not a French one that Atobe often favoured with menus full of unpronounceable dishes - they chatted about university and life in general. Or rather, it was the blonde who did most of the speaking. He just listened and was not surprised that Atobe was already helping to run part of his family’s extensive business empire.
Midway through the meal, the conversation turned to their former teammates and he took the chance to ask about how his kohai was doing, wondering why Atobe had not brought up the topic, and immediately felt overly self-conscious. “How’s Choutarou doing?”
“His recital piece was magnificent. We had dinner at one of the best French restaurants and the food there was fabulous.”
Shishido watched as Atobe took a sip of the green tea, seeming to think for a moment before continuing. “Also, he’s still unattached.”
“What?” He replied, spluttering for a brief moment before glaring at his former Captain. “Have you been speaking to Oshitari or Gakuto?”
“No. Ore-sama does not need to consult with anyone to come to his own conclusions. Ore-sama thinks there is something between you and Ootori that you both need to think about and sit down and talk about.”
Shishido glared at Atobe, before turning his attention back to his food. He had done enough thinking over the past two weeks and was nowhere near reaching a conclusion. Gakuto had been right in saying that he probably cared for Choutarou more than his previous girlfriends, but that was because they were very close friends. After all, he did not like guys in that way, or was it just Choutarou?
“Ore-sama is guessing that you met Oshitari and Gakuto recently and that they are still the same. Anyway, ore-sama is planning for a gathering after Ootori comes back next week. You can let me know your schedule so ore-sama can fit in everyone nicely.”
In typical Atobe fashion, the blonde paid for the dinner and insisted on driving Shishido back to his apartment and reminded him about the gathering once again before leaving. Shishido was however distracted by his earlier mention of Choutarou returning to Japan the following week and after a hasty goodbye, he immediately headed up to his apartment and turned on his laptop to check his email.
Surprisingly, the latest email in his mailbox was from Choutarou, who had not replied since his email three weeks ago. Clicking on it eagerly, he read through it, occasionally grinning at how typically Choutarou the email sounded.
Shishido-san,
I’m really sorry for not replying until today. I was busy with practice for my recital, then Atobe came and he said that he arranged for me to perform at Hyotei during the weekly assembly, so I had to continue practicing and arrange for all the paperwork with the university. You wouldn’t believe that I have to fill in paperwork for performing overseas, even in my previous school, and when it’s not a paid performance.
I just remembered that I hadn’t replied to your email this morning, after getting up early to pack, so here goes. Atobe brought back a copy of the recording, so I hope it’ll sound okay to you, because I though there was someone else during the recital who sounded better than me. Anyway, I’m glad to be coming back soon (I’m flying off tomorrow night, so I’m supposed to be back the day after) and I hope your mid-term results won’t be as bad as you think they’ll be.
Hope the jetlag won’t be as bad as it was previously. Let’s meet up for tennis and dinner soon!
Choutarou
Typing off a short email about texting him when he was back and wanted to meet up, Shishido then turned his mind to his studies - the Japanese school term was quite different from that in Europe and the United States and he was only reaching the middle of the semester. He knew he was putting off thinking about what sort of relationship they really shared, but the warmth he felt when he knew that Choutarou was coming back soon was more than enough to overcome any apprehension he might have had at meeting with his kohai.
~~~
His nerves only started up on his way to the practice courts where he was going to play against Choutarou for the first time since last summer.
It had started normally. He had received Choutarou’s text in the middle of one of his lectures and had replied immediately about meeting on Saturday for some practice and dinner. It was only when he met Hiyoshi later for dinner that his kohai asked why he seemed like he was in a rather good mood, and he replied with a glare when said occasionally irritating kohai suggested it was because Choutarou was back.
The two days before Saturday passed quickly with all the readings he had been assigned and another message from the silver-haired violinist that his performance at Hyoutei had gone very well. He had already been through several rounds of circular arguments in his mind and had all but given up on thinking about what Choutarou meant to him - something told him that he would know after they met.
Shishido arrived early at the courts, determined to reach earlier than Choutarou, fully aware of his kohai’s tendency to arrive early, and was rewarded when he caught sight of distinctive silver hair about five minutes before their meeting time. His kohai looked the same, tall and gentlemanly. There was something about how his brown eyes lit up when they met his own and Shishido found himself grinning and waving immediately in response, even as his heart thumped nervously.
“Hey Choutarou!” He hesitated a moment before placing his arm on a broad shoulder, and found himself thinking about how much he had missed the warmth and comfort from the gesture.
“Shishido-san, you’re early.”
“I… just happened to head out earlier than normal. Wasn’t too sure if it’d be crowded since we haven’t been here in a long time. Let’s go get warmed up? There’re a couple of empty courts over there.”
Sure enough, they found an empty court nearby and did their usual stretches before warming up with several rallies. The friendly ribbing soon followed.
“Let me know when you want to start our match, Choutarou. It seems like you need more practice, eh?”
“Shishido-san, you don’t seem to have had much practice yourself either.”
“You think so?” He replied, returning the shot with his Rising Counter.
Shishido only grinned when his kohai scrambled to return the shot and narrowly missed.
“No fair, Shishido-san. You know I’ve been practicing for my recital and the performance.”
“That’s why I said to let me know when you’re ready. We should try to get a match in with Oishi and Eiji if we manage to practice enough while you’re back. I really want to play doubles again.”
“Me too. Let’s have another two rallies then we can start, I guess.”
Two rallies later, they paused for a break and coin toss, with Shishido the first to serve. He won the first game, then lost the next to Choutarou’s Neo Scud Serve. Four games later, he won the first break point after finally getting used to the silver-haired tennis player’s powerful serve again - even though he practiced less than what he did in high school, his kohai seemed to have had less practice than him - and the match finally ended 6-4 in his favour when Choutarou missed returning another of his Rising Counters. In spite of the score line, it had been a close match with long rallies, each waiting for his opponent to commit a mistake.
“Dinner? Or shall we get in a few more rounds of practice before it turns dark?”
“Dinner please, Shishido-san. I’m bushed.” He felt his gaze linger momentarily on the taller player as Choutarou lifted his shirt to wipe his sweat, exposing his pale but toned abdomen.
Turning away quickly before he was discovered, Shishido picked up his bag, paused for a moment to wait for his partner before heading off to the showers. “Choutarou, you need more practice. I don’t think we’ll be able to last against Eiji and Oishi like that.”
“You really think so, Shishido-san? My serves were mostly in though.”
Looking up at the silver-haired musician, Shishido spotted the slight smile and grinned. “I’m your sempai and you should trust me.”
“Yes, sempai.”
Choutarou’s tone sounded even more polite and deferential than his usual that Shishido could not stop himself from bursting out in laughter. As his kohai joined in a moment later, he knew that this companionship was all he wanted and needed.
Despite feeling more self-conscious than usual in the showers, even with separate shower stalls, Shishido had enough control over his willpower to not look when they were stripping out of their sweaty clothes. It was not a surprise to find Choutarou waiting for him when he was done - long hair was a bitch to wash and because he hated going out with it loose, since it made him look like a girl, it took some time while he towelled it as dry as he could before tying it back up in its usual ponytail.
“Sorry, Choutarou. My hair…” He cut himself off on spotting the silver-haired tennis player’s understanding nod and smile. “Where to for dinner then? You should choose, since you just came back and it’s probably hard to find Japanese food like this over there.”
They had ramen at a small stall tucked into the side of one of the buildings at the nearby traffic crossing, reminiscing about their time at Hyotei. Shishido invited him back to his apartment for drinks and it was only when Choutarou spotted the disc that held his recording on the table that things started progressing a little too quickly for his liking.
“Is this Atobe-sempai’s recording?”
“Yep. You sounded really good.” After years of attending concerts occasionally to listen to his kohai or with him to listen to some big name orchestra, Shishido had developed some sense of appreciation for classical music, though he still preferred rhythmic pop numbers by a huge margin.
“Anyway, I’m sorry if Atobe asked you weird questions when you guys met up for dinner.” He continued, unable to forget what their former captain had said about his partner’s lack of a girlfriend.
To his surprise, he found Choutarou blushing, rosy pink obvious against his pale skin. “Choutarou?” He asked, wondering what sort of memories he had accidentally brought up. “If it’s Atobe, I’ll handle him when we meet up next.”
“…Shishido-san, I’m… okay. I think Atobe-sempai was only trying to help…”
Shishido cannot help but feel irritated at the mess that Atobe created. “Help with what? He’s obviously trying to meddle with yours, no, our… whatever. He’s just poking his nose where it shouldn’t be.”
“I guess Atobe-sempai’s trying to helpful in his way… Shishido-san, there’s something I want to ask you.”
Nodding for him to go ahead and ask the question, the brown-haired student waited, noticing that his kohai’s voice trembled slightly.
“What do you think of gay people?”
This time, he did not even notice how the words came out in a rush and that the fierce blush on Choutarou’s face was matched by an equally red one on his own tanned features.
‘Atobe told him? But he wouldn’t have known. Even I still don’t know after seeing him, but then why is he asking this? Or did Atobe tell him something else or… Damn, I don’t even know if I’m gay or anything and he comes here with this question… What the hell am I supposed to say?’ He took a deep breath.
‘There really isn’t anything wrong, is there? I mean, Eiji and Oishi are together, and so are that pair of idiots who practically want to make out everywhere they can. I guess there’s nothing wrong, even though I’m still not sure of it myself… ’
“I… er… I’m fine with them. After all, Oshitari and Gakuto are together and if I can deal with the two of them together, I don’t think I have any problem with them. …why the sudden question anyway?” He laughed nervously after his reply, wondering why exactly the silver-haired musician asked the question, yet not really wanting to know.
“Shishido-san… I have something to tell you.” He watched as Choutarou gulped, Adam’s apple moving nervously above the silver chain with the cross pendant. “…I …I like you, Shishido-san.”
It took him more than a moment to actually understand what Choutarou meant.
‘He confessed! I mean, do I like him? I’m not even sure if I like him the same way as he likes me, but he likes me…’
He only realised that the silver-haired musician was expecting a reply when he met earnest brown eyes, feeling them penetrate his chaotic whirl of thoughts. “I…er… Choutarou… I…Gekidasa daze. I… Can I ask you something first, Choutarou? How… did you… know you like me?”
“I… don’t exactly remember. I think… there was one time in high school that I met my girlfriend then after we practiced on a weekend and then she got angry because I was slightly late even though I told her I would be late, and I wondered what if I were to go out with someone who’d understand me as well as Shishido-san.
I mean… I don’t really even know when I started thinking about it, but it was nice to have your arm over my shoulder when we met up and it always feels like Shishido-san can understand me the most. Somehow, it seemed like there was no one better than Shishido-san, not even when I… tried going out with another guy in America. I’m sorry, Shishido-san. I…”
He only realised he had been glaring at his kohai unconsciously towards the end of the statement when Choutarou started apologising.
“Don’t. It’s not your fault. If it’s like that then… then I think I like you too, Choutarou.”
Cheeks burning and heart pounding, he watched as various expressions, surprise then happiness then a mixture of that and embarrassment, crossed his kohai’s face.
“I’m sorry… I never noticed it before until everyone pointed out that I care for you more than I did for my previous girlfriends. I… Can I try this?”
Leaning forward, Shishido pressed his lips against the taller musician’s, surprised for a moment at how soft they were, before relaxing as his partner leaned into the kiss. Their positions were awkward however and they broke apart after several heartbeats later, brown eyes shining and cheeks dusted a light pink.
“Do you want to…er… stay over tonight?” He asked nervously, only to see Choutarou smiling in reply, “Hai, Shishido-san.”
When Shishido woke up nestled in the comfortable embrace of his doubles partner, a warm arm over his chest and his back against Choutarou’s muscular chest, separated only by layers of fabric, two things crossed his mind. The first was how right it felt, and the second that he wanted to wake up like that every day in the future.
~~~
They remained somewhere in between friends and lovers, content to go slow since Choutarou was hardly back in Japan anyway, until Shishido moved to the States, taking up a position as a graduate student in a New England university, a few hours away from Julliard. It was easier being intimate when they were closer and though their first time together was pretty much a disaster when they looked back on it, things only got better.
Choutarou continued on with graduate school at Julliard’s, finishing a year before Shishido, picking up prizes for performance in between, then proceeded to guest-perform with orchestras around the world using a 18th century Stradivarius violin sponsored by Atobe.
Shishido received his PhD in history and went on to do another year of post-graduate studies before returning to Japan as an assistant professor. Choutarou joined him soon after, making the decision to be based at Tokyo, and took on a teaching role at the college of music while performing at the same time.
It was fifteen years since the summer camp of their third year in middle school when the former Hyotei regulars met again, this time for dinner in a private room of an upscale French restaurant as arranged by their former Captain.
The first thing that Atobe said when he entered the room, last and just slightly late as usual, was, “Ore-sama was right after all.”
“Right about what, Atobe?” came Oshitari’s question.
“Does ore-sama need to point out the rings to everyone?” He replied with a huff before sitting down. “The food will be served soon. Ore-sama told the waiter outside.”
It was Shishido who replied to the questions after the congratulations. “We… got married officially in America last year, but it doesn’t mean anything here though.”
“Oshitari, they got rings, matching silver bands. When are you even going to think of getting something like that for me?”
“Oi Gakuto, you don’t need to be that obvious.”
“It’s Oshitari, what do you expect? Anyway, you and Ootori should thank me, you know. After all, I was the very first one who predicted you both would get together fifteen years ago during the summer camp, remember?”
“You must be joking. Who would have believed anything you said then?”
The door opened for the food to be served as Oshitari tried to calm an indignant Gakuto down, and they reminisced over dinner, exchanging titbits from the past while keeping up to date with everyone’s recent developments.
Seated next to each other, Shishido and Choutarou shared a smile as they conversed. It was fifteen years and they were still together. Perhaps not as the Silver Pair on court, but they were still a pair after all, and well, it so happened that ‘synchro’ could be applied very well in daily life too, just slightly differently.
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis doesn't belong to me... I just borrow the characters for my muse to play with.
Rating: PG-13
Warning/Info: Fluff, time skips
Pairing: Silver Pair/ToriShishi
A/N: Was supposed to have been written for the 31_days prompt for May 27th "synchronicity" but I kept getting stuck since this is the first time I've written PoT fic and this pairing. This isn't the only pairing I like from PoT but I was really inspired by everlind (what she is to torishishi is like what rii is to byaren). Hope it doesn't read too badly, since it's my first time and I wanted to do something like an overview of their relationship.
If anyone told him before the summer selection camp six years ago that they would be the second pair of middle school students to achieve conscious ‘synchro’ in a competition match, Shishido would have believed it.
They had beaten Seigaku’s Golden Pair in the Nationals, even after they activated ‘synchro’ unconsciously. After watching their opponents defeat Rikkai’s Platinum Pair in the finals by activating ‘synchro’ consciously, they decided to go one-up on them. As a third year, despite having to focus on the upcoming high school admission exams, he had immediately resumed intensive practice with Choutarou once they had received invitations for the summer U-17 selection camp.
Shishido was determined not to lose again.
In spite of that, he still lost to Choutarou in the elimination matches between the middle school students.
Failure had never stopped him and when he eventually returned, with Hiyoshi, Oishi, Sanada, the first year brats and the rest of the defeated middle school students, Shishido knew he had yet again surpassed his limit.
It did not surprise him when he and Choutarou finally achieved their first ever conscious ‘synchro’ during a placing match against a pair of high school students during the camp.
He had however refused to believe Gakuto back then during the summer camp, when he had teased, “Are both of you planning to get together sometime soon, like the Golden Pair?”
“Choutarou and me? We’re already playing together in doubles.”
“Nope, I didn’t mean that. I mean, get together as a couple, like holding hands and kissing, you know.”
“You must be joking, Gakuto. Is Oshitari influencing you again?”
“Yeah, there’s nothing between me and Shishido-san. We’re just good friends.” Watching the silver-haired second-year protest earnestly next to him - they were seating next to each other and opposite the redhead in the canteen having dinner - Shishido felt an unexplainable sense of relief.
That vanished in an instant when Oshitari appeared with his tray. “Are you sure you both haven’t been touching each other for longer than you should? You are rooming with the Golden Pair after all. It might be contagious.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Finishing up the food on his plate, he looked over and noticed that his partner was done. “You done, Choutarou? Let’s go before we have to listen to any more of this rubbish.”
It was only two years later that Shishido realised that Seigaku’s Oishi and Eiji were really a couple, and that Oshitari had at some point been with Gakuto. Hearing Jirou say during practice that Oshitari “played doubles in bed with Gakuto in between his girlfriends” had pretty much shocked him into losing the practice match he had been playing, though he had been ahead by 4-0.
Four years on, Oshitari and Gakuto had gotten together, this time permanently, and Oishi and Eiji had moved in with each other a couple of months ago - he still met the Golden Pair occasionally for lunch. He missed playing doubles; no other partner than Choutarou seemed to do it for him however, and with Choutarou studying music overseas, he hardly ever played.
Shishido felt lonely.
Two bottles of beer later, he met Oshitari and Gakuto earlier for dinner before they headed to a bar, he blurted out unconsciously, “I wonder how Choutarou’s doing in New York…” Looking up, he found the couple grinning at each other - he wondered sometimes how he managed to put up with them since they met in middle school - and instantly realised something was up.
“Pay up, Yuishi. It’s been a six year wait, but you see, I was right all this time. I told you he’d realise it eventually.”
“Just a minute. Let me ask him a few questions first just to be sure.”
Still not entirely sure what was going on despite suspecting something, Shishido found Oshitari looking at him intently with a smirk on his face and frowned. “What’s up with you two and what sort of questions do you want to ask?”
“Aren’t you the one who keeps in contact with Ootori the most?”
“Well, yeah, but he’s preparing for a performance now, so he hasn’t got the time to reply…”
“So… do you miss him?”
“I miss playing tennis with him. I kinda miss hanging out with him. What’s with the question? I mean, don’t you guys miss having him around when we meet up with Atobe and the gang?”
“Yes… but that’s not the point of the question. Do you miss him more than anyone else?”
“… There isn’t anyone else I’m that close to who’s studying overseas. Atobe’s flying back and forth, so it doesn’t seem like he’s overseas. Maybe?”
That reply was accompanied by what sounded like a giggle from Gakuto. “Yuishi, he just about admitted it.”
“No, I don’t think he actually realises it yet.”
“Can both of you stop bickering in front of me and ask me what the hell you guys bet on that has to do with me?” Glaring at the pair, he waited for the question. It was close to midnight and he had a rather early class tomorrow.
“Shishido, do you like Choutarou?”
“Go fuck yourself, Oshitari.”
“I’m right, he still hasn’t realised it yet. You owe me that tonight, since I’ve already asked the question.”
“If that’s all, I’m off.” Picking up his bag, Shishido stood, not interested to watch Oshitari and Gakuto start making out in front of the entire bar, especially not with the redhead pouting like that.
“You know, Shishido, you might not have realised it, but you probably care more about Choutarou than any of your previous girlfriends, and talk to him more as well. Go think about it.”
In spite of his irritation as he left without a wave of goodbye, Gakuto’s words remained firmly in his mind, as if it was a reminder of what he said six years ago.
~~~
“I was in New York for a business meeting, so I happened to stop by for Ootori’s recital. Here’s the recording.”
It took about a minute for Shishido to figure out what exactly Atobe was saying in English, with that haughty English accent he had developed after studying in Cambridge for three years, before toning down his glare and picking up the disc placed on the table.
English was still not his strongest subject, but he had put quite some effort into learning it, since he was considering graduate studies overseas. He managed to understand most of it now; it was only the spoken form that occasionally gave him trouble.
“Ore-sama is hungry. Where is the waitress?”
After placing their orders - Shishido was thankful they were having lunch in a Japanese restaurant and not a French one that Atobe often favoured with menus full of unpronounceable dishes - they chatted about university and life in general. Or rather, it was the blonde who did most of the speaking. He just listened and was not surprised that Atobe was already helping to run part of his family’s extensive business empire.
Midway through the meal, the conversation turned to their former teammates and he took the chance to ask about how his kohai was doing, wondering why Atobe had not brought up the topic, and immediately felt overly self-conscious. “How’s Choutarou doing?”
“His recital piece was magnificent. We had dinner at one of the best French restaurants and the food there was fabulous.”
Shishido watched as Atobe took a sip of the green tea, seeming to think for a moment before continuing. “Also, he’s still unattached.”
“What?” He replied, spluttering for a brief moment before glaring at his former Captain. “Have you been speaking to Oshitari or Gakuto?”
“No. Ore-sama does not need to consult with anyone to come to his own conclusions. Ore-sama thinks there is something between you and Ootori that you both need to think about and sit down and talk about.”
Shishido glared at Atobe, before turning his attention back to his food. He had done enough thinking over the past two weeks and was nowhere near reaching a conclusion. Gakuto had been right in saying that he probably cared for Choutarou more than his previous girlfriends, but that was because they were very close friends. After all, he did not like guys in that way, or was it just Choutarou?
“Ore-sama is guessing that you met Oshitari and Gakuto recently and that they are still the same. Anyway, ore-sama is planning for a gathering after Ootori comes back next week. You can let me know your schedule so ore-sama can fit in everyone nicely.”
In typical Atobe fashion, the blonde paid for the dinner and insisted on driving Shishido back to his apartment and reminded him about the gathering once again before leaving. Shishido was however distracted by his earlier mention of Choutarou returning to Japan the following week and after a hasty goodbye, he immediately headed up to his apartment and turned on his laptop to check his email.
Surprisingly, the latest email in his mailbox was from Choutarou, who had not replied since his email three weeks ago. Clicking on it eagerly, he read through it, occasionally grinning at how typically Choutarou the email sounded.
Shishido-san,
I’m really sorry for not replying until today. I was busy with practice for my recital, then Atobe came and he said that he arranged for me to perform at Hyotei during the weekly assembly, so I had to continue practicing and arrange for all the paperwork with the university. You wouldn’t believe that I have to fill in paperwork for performing overseas, even in my previous school, and when it’s not a paid performance.
I just remembered that I hadn’t replied to your email this morning, after getting up early to pack, so here goes. Atobe brought back a copy of the recording, so I hope it’ll sound okay to you, because I though there was someone else during the recital who sounded better than me. Anyway, I’m glad to be coming back soon (I’m flying off tomorrow night, so I’m supposed to be back the day after) and I hope your mid-term results won’t be as bad as you think they’ll be.
Hope the jetlag won’t be as bad as it was previously. Let’s meet up for tennis and dinner soon!
Choutarou
Typing off a short email about texting him when he was back and wanted to meet up, Shishido then turned his mind to his studies - the Japanese school term was quite different from that in Europe and the United States and he was only reaching the middle of the semester. He knew he was putting off thinking about what sort of relationship they really shared, but the warmth he felt when he knew that Choutarou was coming back soon was more than enough to overcome any apprehension he might have had at meeting with his kohai.
~~~
His nerves only started up on his way to the practice courts where he was going to play against Choutarou for the first time since last summer.
It had started normally. He had received Choutarou’s text in the middle of one of his lectures and had replied immediately about meeting on Saturday for some practice and dinner. It was only when he met Hiyoshi later for dinner that his kohai asked why he seemed like he was in a rather good mood, and he replied with a glare when said occasionally irritating kohai suggested it was because Choutarou was back.
The two days before Saturday passed quickly with all the readings he had been assigned and another message from the silver-haired violinist that his performance at Hyoutei had gone very well. He had already been through several rounds of circular arguments in his mind and had all but given up on thinking about what Choutarou meant to him - something told him that he would know after they met.
Shishido arrived early at the courts, determined to reach earlier than Choutarou, fully aware of his kohai’s tendency to arrive early, and was rewarded when he caught sight of distinctive silver hair about five minutes before their meeting time. His kohai looked the same, tall and gentlemanly. There was something about how his brown eyes lit up when they met his own and Shishido found himself grinning and waving immediately in response, even as his heart thumped nervously.
“Hey Choutarou!” He hesitated a moment before placing his arm on a broad shoulder, and found himself thinking about how much he had missed the warmth and comfort from the gesture.
“Shishido-san, you’re early.”
“I… just happened to head out earlier than normal. Wasn’t too sure if it’d be crowded since we haven’t been here in a long time. Let’s go get warmed up? There’re a couple of empty courts over there.”
Sure enough, they found an empty court nearby and did their usual stretches before warming up with several rallies. The friendly ribbing soon followed.
“Let me know when you want to start our match, Choutarou. It seems like you need more practice, eh?”
“Shishido-san, you don’t seem to have had much practice yourself either.”
“You think so?” He replied, returning the shot with his Rising Counter.
Shishido only grinned when his kohai scrambled to return the shot and narrowly missed.
“No fair, Shishido-san. You know I’ve been practicing for my recital and the performance.”
“That’s why I said to let me know when you’re ready. We should try to get a match in with Oishi and Eiji if we manage to practice enough while you’re back. I really want to play doubles again.”
“Me too. Let’s have another two rallies then we can start, I guess.”
Two rallies later, they paused for a break and coin toss, with Shishido the first to serve. He won the first game, then lost the next to Choutarou’s Neo Scud Serve. Four games later, he won the first break point after finally getting used to the silver-haired tennis player’s powerful serve again - even though he practiced less than what he did in high school, his kohai seemed to have had less practice than him - and the match finally ended 6-4 in his favour when Choutarou missed returning another of his Rising Counters. In spite of the score line, it had been a close match with long rallies, each waiting for his opponent to commit a mistake.
“Dinner? Or shall we get in a few more rounds of practice before it turns dark?”
“Dinner please, Shishido-san. I’m bushed.” He felt his gaze linger momentarily on the taller player as Choutarou lifted his shirt to wipe his sweat, exposing his pale but toned abdomen.
Turning away quickly before he was discovered, Shishido picked up his bag, paused for a moment to wait for his partner before heading off to the showers. “Choutarou, you need more practice. I don’t think we’ll be able to last against Eiji and Oishi like that.”
“You really think so, Shishido-san? My serves were mostly in though.”
Looking up at the silver-haired musician, Shishido spotted the slight smile and grinned. “I’m your sempai and you should trust me.”
“Yes, sempai.”
Choutarou’s tone sounded even more polite and deferential than his usual that Shishido could not stop himself from bursting out in laughter. As his kohai joined in a moment later, he knew that this companionship was all he wanted and needed.
Despite feeling more self-conscious than usual in the showers, even with separate shower stalls, Shishido had enough control over his willpower to not look when they were stripping out of their sweaty clothes. It was not a surprise to find Choutarou waiting for him when he was done - long hair was a bitch to wash and because he hated going out with it loose, since it made him look like a girl, it took some time while he towelled it as dry as he could before tying it back up in its usual ponytail.
“Sorry, Choutarou. My hair…” He cut himself off on spotting the silver-haired tennis player’s understanding nod and smile. “Where to for dinner then? You should choose, since you just came back and it’s probably hard to find Japanese food like this over there.”
They had ramen at a small stall tucked into the side of one of the buildings at the nearby traffic crossing, reminiscing about their time at Hyotei. Shishido invited him back to his apartment for drinks and it was only when Choutarou spotted the disc that held his recording on the table that things started progressing a little too quickly for his liking.
“Is this Atobe-sempai’s recording?”
“Yep. You sounded really good.” After years of attending concerts occasionally to listen to his kohai or with him to listen to some big name orchestra, Shishido had developed some sense of appreciation for classical music, though he still preferred rhythmic pop numbers by a huge margin.
“Anyway, I’m sorry if Atobe asked you weird questions when you guys met up for dinner.” He continued, unable to forget what their former captain had said about his partner’s lack of a girlfriend.
To his surprise, he found Choutarou blushing, rosy pink obvious against his pale skin. “Choutarou?” He asked, wondering what sort of memories he had accidentally brought up. “If it’s Atobe, I’ll handle him when we meet up next.”
“…Shishido-san, I’m… okay. I think Atobe-sempai was only trying to help…”
Shishido cannot help but feel irritated at the mess that Atobe created. “Help with what? He’s obviously trying to meddle with yours, no, our… whatever. He’s just poking his nose where it shouldn’t be.”
“I guess Atobe-sempai’s trying to helpful in his way… Shishido-san, there’s something I want to ask you.”
Nodding for him to go ahead and ask the question, the brown-haired student waited, noticing that his kohai’s voice trembled slightly.
“What do you think of gay people?”
This time, he did not even notice how the words came out in a rush and that the fierce blush on Choutarou’s face was matched by an equally red one on his own tanned features.
‘Atobe told him? But he wouldn’t have known. Even I still don’t know after seeing him, but then why is he asking this? Or did Atobe tell him something else or… Damn, I don’t even know if I’m gay or anything and he comes here with this question… What the hell am I supposed to say?’ He took a deep breath.
‘There really isn’t anything wrong, is there? I mean, Eiji and Oishi are together, and so are that pair of idiots who practically want to make out everywhere they can. I guess there’s nothing wrong, even though I’m still not sure of it myself… ’
“I… er… I’m fine with them. After all, Oshitari and Gakuto are together and if I can deal with the two of them together, I don’t think I have any problem with them. …why the sudden question anyway?” He laughed nervously after his reply, wondering why exactly the silver-haired musician asked the question, yet not really wanting to know.
“Shishido-san… I have something to tell you.” He watched as Choutarou gulped, Adam’s apple moving nervously above the silver chain with the cross pendant. “…I …I like you, Shishido-san.”
It took him more than a moment to actually understand what Choutarou meant.
‘He confessed! I mean, do I like him? I’m not even sure if I like him the same way as he likes me, but he likes me…’
He only realised that the silver-haired musician was expecting a reply when he met earnest brown eyes, feeling them penetrate his chaotic whirl of thoughts. “I…er… Choutarou… I…Gekidasa daze. I… Can I ask you something first, Choutarou? How… did you… know you like me?”
“I… don’t exactly remember. I think… there was one time in high school that I met my girlfriend then after we practiced on a weekend and then she got angry because I was slightly late even though I told her I would be late, and I wondered what if I were to go out with someone who’d understand me as well as Shishido-san.
I mean… I don’t really even know when I started thinking about it, but it was nice to have your arm over my shoulder when we met up and it always feels like Shishido-san can understand me the most. Somehow, it seemed like there was no one better than Shishido-san, not even when I… tried going out with another guy in America. I’m sorry, Shishido-san. I…”
He only realised he had been glaring at his kohai unconsciously towards the end of the statement when Choutarou started apologising.
“Don’t. It’s not your fault. If it’s like that then… then I think I like you too, Choutarou.”
Cheeks burning and heart pounding, he watched as various expressions, surprise then happiness then a mixture of that and embarrassment, crossed his kohai’s face.
“I’m sorry… I never noticed it before until everyone pointed out that I care for you more than I did for my previous girlfriends. I… Can I try this?”
Leaning forward, Shishido pressed his lips against the taller musician’s, surprised for a moment at how soft they were, before relaxing as his partner leaned into the kiss. Their positions were awkward however and they broke apart after several heartbeats later, brown eyes shining and cheeks dusted a light pink.
“Do you want to…er… stay over tonight?” He asked nervously, only to see Choutarou smiling in reply, “Hai, Shishido-san.”
When Shishido woke up nestled in the comfortable embrace of his doubles partner, a warm arm over his chest and his back against Choutarou’s muscular chest, separated only by layers of fabric, two things crossed his mind. The first was how right it felt, and the second that he wanted to wake up like that every day in the future.
~~~
They remained somewhere in between friends and lovers, content to go slow since Choutarou was hardly back in Japan anyway, until Shishido moved to the States, taking up a position as a graduate student in a New England university, a few hours away from Julliard. It was easier being intimate when they were closer and though their first time together was pretty much a disaster when they looked back on it, things only got better.
Choutarou continued on with graduate school at Julliard’s, finishing a year before Shishido, picking up prizes for performance in between, then proceeded to guest-perform with orchestras around the world using a 18th century Stradivarius violin sponsored by Atobe.
Shishido received his PhD in history and went on to do another year of post-graduate studies before returning to Japan as an assistant professor. Choutarou joined him soon after, making the decision to be based at Tokyo, and took on a teaching role at the college of music while performing at the same time.
It was fifteen years since the summer camp of their third year in middle school when the former Hyotei regulars met again, this time for dinner in a private room of an upscale French restaurant as arranged by their former Captain.
The first thing that Atobe said when he entered the room, last and just slightly late as usual, was, “Ore-sama was right after all.”
“Right about what, Atobe?” came Oshitari’s question.
“Does ore-sama need to point out the rings to everyone?” He replied with a huff before sitting down. “The food will be served soon. Ore-sama told the waiter outside.”
It was Shishido who replied to the questions after the congratulations. “We… got married officially in America last year, but it doesn’t mean anything here though.”
“Oshitari, they got rings, matching silver bands. When are you even going to think of getting something like that for me?”
“Oi Gakuto, you don’t need to be that obvious.”
“It’s Oshitari, what do you expect? Anyway, you and Ootori should thank me, you know. After all, I was the very first one who predicted you both would get together fifteen years ago during the summer camp, remember?”
“You must be joking. Who would have believed anything you said then?”
The door opened for the food to be served as Oshitari tried to calm an indignant Gakuto down, and they reminisced over dinner, exchanging titbits from the past while keeping up to date with everyone’s recent developments.
Seated next to each other, Shishido and Choutarou shared a smile as they conversed. It was fifteen years and they were still together. Perhaps not as the Silver Pair on court, but they were still a pair after all, and well, it so happened that ‘synchro’ could be applied very well in daily life too, just slightly differently.