[PoT] Learning Curve, PG, Humor, FujiRyo
30_kisses theme: #11 gardenia
Learning Curve
Prince of Tennis, FujiRyo, PG, 1064 words
Tomoka thinks Ryoma needs a little help in figuring things out.
Learning Curve
by meitachi
Ryoma had never given much thought to girls or romance in general, but now that the topic had been brought up, he had to admit a bit of curiosity. Mostly as to whether or not his senpai had girlfriends and whether or not this would affect tennis: how often they played (if the girl was determined that Tezuka-buchou take her out to dinner instead of a fourth hour on the practice courts), the way they played (would Momo-senpai show off or be distracted), or even their interest (would all that “kissing” stuff be more interesting than perfecting a faster serve).
“Ch’,” Ryoma snorted upon reflection. “Girls are stupid. They won’t get distracted from tennis.”
Tomoka flashed him an annoyed look. “Excuse me!” she demanded, hands on her hips. “Now, Ryoma-sama, I know you’re antisocial and bad with people,” here she had to pause to roll her eyes at the understatement, “but senpai aren’t! And they’re all really popular! There are lots of girls who would go out with them. Just the other day, when Kikumaru-senpai came to the class looking for you, he was almost mobbed and-“
Girls were stupid, Ryoma determined, resting his chin his hand, elbow propped on the desk as he gazed disinterestedly out the window. They never stopped talking about useless things. What did it matter if his senpai were popular? They would never pick a girl over tennis, Ryoma knew that much. In fact, Ryoma was pretty certain a lot of other things came before girls in his senpai’s minds: food, for instance, might even be more important to Momo-senpai than tennis. Tezuka and Oishi most certainly valued their academics and Fuji-senpai liked photography. None of them were like his baka oyaji with his dirty magazines; they knew what was really important in life.
“I, Horio, have two years of dating experience,” Horio interrupted Tomoka to announce, smoothing his hair back with smug look.
“With what? A platypus?” Tomoka slipped the insult smoothly into her rant and, without pause, continued, “Honestly, Ryoma-sama, a lot of girls are interested in you, too! Like Sakuno, though she won’t ever admit it, and if you’d paid a little more attention, you would notice! It’s not so bad, you know, and really common for high schoolers to flirt. It happens all the time. Look!” Tomoka grabbed Ryoma’s arm, startling him from poking at his half-eaten bento in disinterest. “See Kaito-san and Yashiya-san?” she stage-whispered, pointing at the other side of the classroom where two of their classmates were engaged in an embarrassed, awkward sort of conversation. “They like each other!”
“Yeah, yeah! You can tell because of the way Kaito-san is holding her chopsticks with her left hand,” Horio interjected self-importantly. He nodded as if he had all the answers. “It’s a flirting technique originating in China that was passed on for hundreds of years-ow! Hey!”
“Idiot. She’s left-handed, that’s all!”
Ryoma had to wonder what god hated him so much, putting him in a class with both Tomoka and Horio. High school was turning out to be decidedly worse than junior high. If it weren’t for the tennis club-and the science class was pretty interesting, he had to admit-Ryoma wouldn’t have bothered coming to school at all.
“When flirting,” Tomoka lectured, perching herself on the desk beside Ryoma’s, waving her chopsticks around in the air, “subtle looks are exchanged and little touches. Lots of verbal play-back and forth sort of teasing-and little smiles and stuff. It varies from person to person but it’s overall the same. It all leads up to that first kiss.” She poked Ryoma in the shoulder. “Are you listening, Ryoma-sama?” she demanded.
“No.”
She pouted at him. “Ryoma-sama,” she whined.
He gave her a flat look. “Why are you telling me this?”
She huffed. “I’m educating you. Boys are so dense.” She leaned forward, staring at him in the eye, and he shifted back in his chair, giving her a dark look from under his bangs. “Did you find flowers in your locker this morning?” she asked intently.
A scattered arrangement of fragrant gardenia blooms lying over his indoor slippers? “Yes,” Ryoma replied, shrugging. “Fuji-senpai said they made my locker smell nice.” Another one of his weird quirks, Ryoma figured, absently wondering if it was some sort of insult about his feet odor. He snorted. It wasn’t like Fuji-senpai’s was any better, with all the running around they did for morning practice.
“And,” Tomoka continued, continuing to give him that unnerving stare, “did Fuji-senpai pet your head yesterday after practice and call you cute?”
With an unnerving smile, Ryoma recalled, as fingers trailed loosely through his hair. “He was making fun of my height,” he said grumpily. “Not like he’s much taller.” A fact that Ryoma had smugly reminded the older boy of, tugging on his cap and smirking. Fuji’s amused chuckle had only made him add, with a mischievous grin, “So doesn’t that make Fuji-senpai cute too?” He could get his back.
“Aha!” Tomoka leaned back and pointed an accusing finger at him. Her eyes flashed in excitement. “Don’t you get it, Ryoma-sama?”
“No.” What was there to get?
“Echizen, you’re so dumb!” Horio exclaimed, slamming the lid back onto his bento and giving Ryoma a condescending look. “How could you not know? Huh,” he sniffed, “I guess it’s expected that people without two years of dating experience like me just aren’t-aren’t-experienced enough.”
Ryoma ignored him as usual but Tomoka turned on him, crossing her arms. “Oh?” she asked challengingly. “Then tell Ryoma-sama just what he’s missing out on.”
Horio floundered. “Uh, um.” His eyes darted around the classroom as he stammered, before he clenched his fist and said loudly, “Well if he doesn’t know, I’m not going to tell him! He should figure it out on his own!”
Tomoka, after giving a sigh of disgust at Horio, turned back to him. Ryoma wondered, annoyed, if lunch was over yet. “Ryoma-sama! How can you have missed it?” Her lips quivered as she stared at him, leaning into his personal space. “I guess I have to tell you straight out, after all.” Her voice lowered. “Ryoma-sama! Fuji-senpai…he’s been flirting with you.”
There was silence for a long minute.
“I know,” Ryoma said at long last, blinking, looking almost incredulous but still sounding as deadpan as ever. “We’ve been going out since last year.”
--
Started/Finished: 04.01.2006
Notes: That's the end of my 30_kisses FujiRyo claim. It's been long (over a year) and both frustrating and fun. ♥ See all 30 fics here.
Learning Curve
Prince of Tennis, FujiRyo, PG, 1064 words
Tomoka thinks Ryoma needs a little help in figuring things out.
Learning Curve
by meitachi
Ryoma had never given much thought to girls or romance in general, but now that the topic had been brought up, he had to admit a bit of curiosity. Mostly as to whether or not his senpai had girlfriends and whether or not this would affect tennis: how often they played (if the girl was determined that Tezuka-buchou take her out to dinner instead of a fourth hour on the practice courts), the way they played (would Momo-senpai show off or be distracted), or even their interest (would all that “kissing” stuff be more interesting than perfecting a faster serve).
“Ch’,” Ryoma snorted upon reflection. “Girls are stupid. They won’t get distracted from tennis.”
Tomoka flashed him an annoyed look. “Excuse me!” she demanded, hands on her hips. “Now, Ryoma-sama, I know you’re antisocial and bad with people,” here she had to pause to roll her eyes at the understatement, “but senpai aren’t! And they’re all really popular! There are lots of girls who would go out with them. Just the other day, when Kikumaru-senpai came to the class looking for you, he was almost mobbed and-“
Girls were stupid, Ryoma determined, resting his chin his hand, elbow propped on the desk as he gazed disinterestedly out the window. They never stopped talking about useless things. What did it matter if his senpai were popular? They would never pick a girl over tennis, Ryoma knew that much. In fact, Ryoma was pretty certain a lot of other things came before girls in his senpai’s minds: food, for instance, might even be more important to Momo-senpai than tennis. Tezuka and Oishi most certainly valued their academics and Fuji-senpai liked photography. None of them were like his baka oyaji with his dirty magazines; they knew what was really important in life.
“I, Horio, have two years of dating experience,” Horio interrupted Tomoka to announce, smoothing his hair back with smug look.
“With what? A platypus?” Tomoka slipped the insult smoothly into her rant and, without pause, continued, “Honestly, Ryoma-sama, a lot of girls are interested in you, too! Like Sakuno, though she won’t ever admit it, and if you’d paid a little more attention, you would notice! It’s not so bad, you know, and really common for high schoolers to flirt. It happens all the time. Look!” Tomoka grabbed Ryoma’s arm, startling him from poking at his half-eaten bento in disinterest. “See Kaito-san and Yashiya-san?” she stage-whispered, pointing at the other side of the classroom where two of their classmates were engaged in an embarrassed, awkward sort of conversation. “They like each other!”
“Yeah, yeah! You can tell because of the way Kaito-san is holding her chopsticks with her left hand,” Horio interjected self-importantly. He nodded as if he had all the answers. “It’s a flirting technique originating in China that was passed on for hundreds of years-ow! Hey!”
“Idiot. She’s left-handed, that’s all!”
Ryoma had to wonder what god hated him so much, putting him in a class with both Tomoka and Horio. High school was turning out to be decidedly worse than junior high. If it weren’t for the tennis club-and the science class was pretty interesting, he had to admit-Ryoma wouldn’t have bothered coming to school at all.
“When flirting,” Tomoka lectured, perching herself on the desk beside Ryoma’s, waving her chopsticks around in the air, “subtle looks are exchanged and little touches. Lots of verbal play-back and forth sort of teasing-and little smiles and stuff. It varies from person to person but it’s overall the same. It all leads up to that first kiss.” She poked Ryoma in the shoulder. “Are you listening, Ryoma-sama?” she demanded.
“No.”
She pouted at him. “Ryoma-sama,” she whined.
He gave her a flat look. “Why are you telling me this?”
She huffed. “I’m educating you. Boys are so dense.” She leaned forward, staring at him in the eye, and he shifted back in his chair, giving her a dark look from under his bangs. “Did you find flowers in your locker this morning?” she asked intently.
A scattered arrangement of fragrant gardenia blooms lying over his indoor slippers? “Yes,” Ryoma replied, shrugging. “Fuji-senpai said they made my locker smell nice.” Another one of his weird quirks, Ryoma figured, absently wondering if it was some sort of insult about his feet odor. He snorted. It wasn’t like Fuji-senpai’s was any better, with all the running around they did for morning practice.
“And,” Tomoka continued, continuing to give him that unnerving stare, “did Fuji-senpai pet your head yesterday after practice and call you cute?”
With an unnerving smile, Ryoma recalled, as fingers trailed loosely through his hair. “He was making fun of my height,” he said grumpily. “Not like he’s much taller.” A fact that Ryoma had smugly reminded the older boy of, tugging on his cap and smirking. Fuji’s amused chuckle had only made him add, with a mischievous grin, “So doesn’t that make Fuji-senpai cute too?” He could get his back.
“Aha!” Tomoka leaned back and pointed an accusing finger at him. Her eyes flashed in excitement. “Don’t you get it, Ryoma-sama?”
“No.” What was there to get?
“Echizen, you’re so dumb!” Horio exclaimed, slamming the lid back onto his bento and giving Ryoma a condescending look. “How could you not know? Huh,” he sniffed, “I guess it’s expected that people without two years of dating experience like me just aren’t-aren’t-experienced enough.”
Ryoma ignored him as usual but Tomoka turned on him, crossing her arms. “Oh?” she asked challengingly. “Then tell Ryoma-sama just what he’s missing out on.”
Horio floundered. “Uh, um.” His eyes darted around the classroom as he stammered, before he clenched his fist and said loudly, “Well if he doesn’t know, I’m not going to tell him! He should figure it out on his own!”
Tomoka, after giving a sigh of disgust at Horio, turned back to him. Ryoma wondered, annoyed, if lunch was over yet. “Ryoma-sama! How can you have missed it?” Her lips quivered as she stared at him, leaning into his personal space. “I guess I have to tell you straight out, after all.” Her voice lowered. “Ryoma-sama! Fuji-senpai…he’s been flirting with you.”
There was silence for a long minute.
“I know,” Ryoma said at long last, blinking, looking almost incredulous but still sounding as deadpan as ever. “We’ve been going out since last year.”
--
Started/Finished: 04.01.2006
Notes: That's the end of my 30_kisses FujiRyo claim. It's been long (over a year) and both frustrating and fun. ♥ See all 30 fics here.