Title: Mistake
Author: a1y-puff
Fandom: The Musical Prince of Tennis
Pairing: Saitou Takumi x Aoyagi Ruito,
Side pairing: KamaDate, slight hints of ShiroAi
Genre: General romance… maybe…
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I don’t own these boys, really… They belong to themselves and have their own lives. Everything written on this fic has nothing to do with their real lives, and it’s all only a product of MY imagination ^^;
Note: This is the first time I ever write SaiRui, so… SaiRui fans, please have mercy on me >.<
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Aoyagi Ruito opened his heavy eyes and caught a glimpse of someone sitting not too far from the bed he was in. Right, he was in Saitou Takumi’s apartment, a former co-actor from a musical play he was once in. Even after graduating from the play, they would sometimes still hung out together, with the other Hyoutei boys, or even just the two of them. Well, they were going out, after all.
But the issue was never open to public. Of course, it would surely be scandalous if the public ever found out about their relationship. And how would his parents react to see their son turning gay, Ruito dare not to imagine. So, the secret kept safe only to themselves… and maybe to the other Hyoutei boys. Well, Ruito thought that some of the Seigaku second generation knew about that… or probably, ALL of the TeniMyu cast knew about them, even the third cast, Ruito didn’t care. There are some people that were on the same boat as him and Saitou anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal for them to know.
Ruito stared at Saitou’s back sleepily, as the older man looked busy with his laptop. He started to wonder, how did they ended up going out like this? As his eyes was slowly closing again, his head started to reminiscing the days he was starting to play in TeniMyu…
*****
Being the youngest in the whole cast, Ruito would sometimes feel a bit uneasy. He was a rather shy person, after all. Compared to Katou Kazuki who was already a pretty well-known actor, or to Shirota Yuu, who was experienced in musical play, Ruito was quite an amateur. And when he found out that he would be partnered up with Saitou Takumi, he got nervous.
Ruito’s first impression of Saitou was that he was a figure of his exact opposite. Saitou was mature (despite the nine years difference in their age), and experienced as an actor, and calm. Ruito felt even more nervous when the older man offered his hand at their first meeting.
“Saitou Takumi. Nice to meet you,” was Saitou’s introduction while he shook hand with Ruito. If Ruito only heard his voice, the low-tone voice sounded cold. But since Ruito also saw the smile on the older man’s face, the cold voice sounded so calming.
“Uh, I’m Aoyagi Ruito. Nice to meet you too, uh… Saitou-san,” Ruito nervously replied.
Saitou gave a reassuring smile upon seeing the nervousness in his would-be partner. “Takumi is fine. We would be partnered, so we might as well try to get a little bit intimate,” Saitou said laughigly. And he just had to smile when he saw the teenager slightly flushed, which Saitou thought was kinda cute.
“Okay, then… Takumi… san…” Ruito tried to call the older man’s name.
“Good. Then, I’ll call you Ruito, okay?” Saitou asked while giving the boy a smile, and somehow, Ruito blushed even more. He didn’t know why, but that time, Ruito thought that was because he was somehow flattered to have someone as great as Saitou Takumi calling him by his first name.
That might be one reason.
The other reason was probably because of the way Ruito’s name was flowing out of Saitou’s lips. His name was recited in a rather deep, low voice, and in a somewhat flat yet smooth intonation. And Ruito liked it that way.
As time went by, Ruito started to get used to his life in TeniMyu. And since he was the youngest, the other actors seemed to be a bit babied him. Ruito felt like he suddenly got a hell bunch of big brothers. He was happy, even if he would sometimes get a bit annoyed that the others treat him like a good li’l boy, but mostly, he was happy.
He was happy, until one day, he had this small conversation in Hyoutei’s dressing room just after a rehearsal. Well, he had just been wondering why the way Saitou dance looked so lazily, while him being so bouncy make them looked very contradicting on stage.
“Well, I just thought that Oshitari wouldn’t dance that bouncy, considering his personality,” was Saitou’s reasoning.
That time, Ruito just nodded and thought that Saitou was really into Oshitari’s character and was admiring that… until suddenly Katou butted in.
“Don’t trust him, Ruito! He’s only looking for reasons for his-lazy dancing,” Katou said while slapping Saitou’s back.
“Oh, shut it, Kazuki. I’m trying to give a good example for Ruito here,” Saitou replied laughingly to Katou, and somehow, Ruito found it displeasing to see the two men teasing each other.
Well, they had always close ever since they started the musical. Just like their roles, Katou was their leader, and Saitou was like his trusty right-hand man. As for Ruito… well, he was considered as the baby of the group, of course, given the fact that he was the youngest of all the TeniMyu cast. And Ruito thought, as the baby of the group, he could only “watch the grown-up man from afar”, despite they were being partnered up.
Suddenly Ruito startled at his own thought. It was like… he “like” Saitou, right? Ruito tried to convince himself that it was just a feeling of admiration. Well, who wouldn’t admire Saitou Takumi? He was good-looking, talented, kind… and everything.
“What are you so quite about, Ruito? Are you alright?” Katou asked in a rather soft tone, as if he was talking to an elementary school kid.
Ruito flinched inwardly at the tone. If everyone keep treating him like a kid in front of ‘his’ Takumi-san, when will the grown-up man look at him as a man? But then, once again, Ruito tried to get rid of his weird thought and forced a smile to Katou.
“I’m okay. I just thought that maybe I’m being too bouncy and if I should change the way I dance,” he lied. From the corner of his eyes, Ruito could see Saitou was approaching his seat. And as he tilted his head upward to see the older man, he felt a big hand gently ruffled his head.
“You don’t have to change anything, Ruito,” Saitou smiled. And Katou suddenly found it to be interesting to join Shirota and Aiba who were playing tag in the hallway just outside their dressing room.
“You think so, Takumi-san?” Ruito asked.
“Yeah. Because, you see, the way you’re contradicting to me, I thought that it’s as if you’re completing me,” he added as his smile become much, much gentler.
That time, as his cheeks faintly blushed, Ruito realized something. That the feeling he held towards the older man was no longer admiration.
It had turned to love.
*****
Day passed by since Ruito recognized his feeling toward his partner. Several times he had tried to deny his feeling. His mind did not permit him to love those of the same gender. Ruito himself thought that it was scary for him to have feelings for a guy, but it was scarier to know that his heart did not really scared.
Winter Hyoutei was about to end, and Ruito finally decided that he should confess his feeling before it become overflowing and spill out in a way Ruito wouldn’t want it to be.
But still, there were fears attacking Ruito’s mind. What if his Takumi-san rejected him? What if they would never be the same as before? Would it affect their performances on-stage? Those thoughts kept revolving in Ruito’s mind, until suddenly he overheard a conversation that he thought he shouldn’t hear in Hyoutei’s dressing room between KenKen and Kouji.
“You know Kouji, you’re getting better at our last show. I hope we can do even better in these remaining shows,” Ruito heard KenKen’s voice.
“Thanks, Kenta-san… I’ll do my best,” Kouji smiled sheepishly.
KenKen smile was become gentler, and… somehow, sadder. He looked at Kouji, who threw his attention to the door, making Ruito turned to hide himself.
“I know you’ve been trying hard. I know it must be hard on you to be around with me all the time, practicing and everything else… since that day you confessed…”
Ruito clasp his mouth with a hand to prevent himself to make any sounds out of his surprised state.
“Kenta-san, please…” Kouji’s tone sounded like he begged KenKen to drop the subject. His eyes never met with KenKen’s, and Ruito caught a guilty spark in KenKen’s eyes.
“Kouji, look,” KenKen put a hand on Kouji’s cheek and turned the taller man’s face to face him. “I’m really sorry I can’t answer to your feeling. And I know, even if I never meant it, I had hurt you. But the least I can offer to you now is to keep being your friend, your brother, and your partner. Can I not do that?”
Ruito could see Kouji’s surprised face slowly turned to a smile. A smile consists of a slight sadness, mixed with happiness. “Yeah, you can do that, Kenta-san,” Kouji said.
“Thanks,” KenKen said as he removed his hand from Kouji’s cheek. “Now I’m relieved…”
“Huh, what are you saying, Kenta-san? I’m the one who relieved here. I thought you would hate me,” Kouji said as he looked at KenKen who gave him a weird look.
“Silly! There’s no way I would hate you,” KenKen laughed as he ruffled Kouji’s hair, and the two started to laugh together.
Ruito decided that it’s time for him to leave the two in peace. He had eavesdropped enough. He silently hoped, though, that KenKen’s feeling toward Kouji would change as time went by, so that he could answer to Kouji’s feeling. Now it’s his turn to think about confessing or not.
As he walked toward the emergency stairs, he made up his mind. He would confess. Even if Saitou reject him, they could at least still be partner, like how KenKen and Kouji were. They both professional, and Ruito knew Saitou was mature enough to handle the situation, even after he confessed, whatever the result would be.
And Ruito would also try his best not to mess things up after his confession, whatever the result would be.
“Ruito? What are you doing here?”
Ruito gasped as a hand poke his back from behind. He turned his head and found Saitou standing behind him.
Takumi-san, you surprised me,” Ruito sighed with relieve.
“What are you so surprised about?” Saitou asked laughingly. “Ah, I know, you just did something bad, didn’t you?” Saitou teased him.
“No, I didn’t… uh…” Ruito let his eyes stared at his shoelace. He dare not to see Saitou’s face, not when he was lying. Well, Ruito realized that eavesdropping on the conversation before was indeed, a bad thing.
“Hmm? What’s with the serious look? Are you okay?” Saitou tilted his face closer to Ruito’s, caused Ruito’s heart suddenly beat faster.
“Umm, Takumi-san, are you free right now?” Ruito finally gathered up his courage. Now, he would confess, while his courage had not left him yet.
“Yeah, what’s wrong? Need to talk about something?” Saitou guessed. Ruito’s face was so serious, that Saitou thought he had certain problems he wanted to discuss.
“Well, there’s something I wanted to tell you, Takumi-san,” Ruito said as he tried to control his heartbeat to it’s usual pace, but he failed anyway.
Saitou was still standing there, crossed his arms in front of his chest as he waited for the boy to say what he wanted to say.
Ruito took a deep breath, inhaled and exhaled repeatedly as his brain arranged some words for him to tell. And as his heart was prepared for any reaction Saitou would give, he lifted his face to look at Saitou’s who smiled at him, waiting for whatever he would say.
He took a last deep breath, and ready to say his words.
Aoyagi Ruito, age 15, was about to make the biggest, yet the most beautiful mistake he ever made in his entire life.
==END==
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OMG! I really wrote SaiRui!! xD
Well, the idea just hit me and I just had to write it down, lol…
I don’t know if I got their characters right. I don’t even know their real personalities...
But well, It’s just a fanfic anyway ^^;;
Sorry if there's any grammatical errors..
would appreciate if u just point out and correct it so I can learn ^___^
Thanks for reading and please leave your comments m(_ _)m