[dulko]
TURNING POINT
by epigrammist
It was an accident. Shishido hadn't seen the tennis ball on the ground until it was too late, and then even a masterful display of flailing couldn't save him from tripping and crashing into Ohtori, who overbalanced on impact, but still managed to catch Shishido -- all of which meant that they ended up in a rather awkward tangle on the floor.
"...Ow."
"Shit." Shishido mentally punched himself for being such a klutz. "Sorry. Are you all right?"
Ohtori still looked a bit dazed, but he smiled. "I'm fine. I've taken worse falls before."
"Oh," said Shishido, and he suddenly noticed that he was more or less sitting in Ohtori's lap. Ohtori had one arm around him, from when he caught and saved Shishido from breaking his neck, and if they got any closer...
...shit. He was not thinking about kissing Ohtori. They were doubles partners. That would just be wrong.
"Shishido-senpai?" Ohtori was looking at him strangely.
Mentally, Shishido punched himself again. What the hell was he doing? Now would be a good time to get up and forget about everything that had just gone through his head and then go to tennis practice -- because that had been the original plan, hadn't it?
"Are you all right, Shishido-senpai?"
"Yeah. Yeah...I'm fine... Sorry." But Ohtori didn't seem inclined to move either, so maybe... No. No, oh god what the hell was wrong with him today?
"You've been acting kind of weird lately," Ohtori said, looking directly into Shishido's eyes. "Is something bothering you?"
Shishido swallowed. "Um."
"Are you mad at me?"
"No. Why would I be mad at you?"
"Then what is it?"
"It's..." Shishido could feel Ohtori's hand on his waist and it was burning him through the thin fabric of his t-shirt.
"Yes?"
"...I can't tell you," Shishido said lamely. He could feel his cheeks heating up, and he wanted to look away, but couldn't quite bring himself to admit defeat like that.
Shit. This was so unfair.
After a moment, Ohtori said quietly, "Was it what Mukahi-senpai said?"
Shishido blinked. "What?"
"Remember what Mukahi-senpai said the other day, in the locker rooms? You tried to beat him up for it, but then Atobe-buchou came in and stopped the two of you."
"Oh, that... Mukahi was asking for it."
"I wondered why it bothered you so much, since we all knew he was joking."
"It wasn't funny."
"Of course it wasn't."
"And it wasn't true."
"No, it wasn't."
"It didn't mean anything."
"But didn't it?"
"Mukahi was being stupid."
"So why did it bother you?"
"It didn't."
"You punched him in the face."
"He was being an idiot."
"You always say that about Mukahi-senpai, but you don't always hit him."
"I was...having a bad day."
"Because of what he said?"
"No."
"Because of me?"
"No!"
"Did I have anything to do with it?"
"Not...really."
"But it did." It wasn't a question.
Shishido fought the urge to squirm. "...yeah. I guess."
"Do you like me, Shishido-senpai?"
"Well... Yeah. Sure."
Ohtori was looking at him intently. Shishido felt his mouth go dry. What the hell was going on here?
"I want to know," Ohtori said after a moment. He swallowed. "Because..."
"Because what?"
"...because I like you. A lot."
Shishido felt like someone had just slapped him in the face with a frozen fish.
"Does that bother you, Shishido-senpai?"
Shit. This was still so wrong but-- Oh, to hell with it, because that look on Choutarou's face was just too damn cute, and if Shishido thought about this for much longer, he was going to find a way to talk himself out of it.
So he stopped thinking and just kissed Choutarou on the lips.
His heart was trying to burst out of his ribcage, but he could feel Choutarou's heartbeat racing, too, and then Choutarou's arms were around him, and Shishido had his hands tangled in Choutarou's hair, and damn this felt good. Really, really good.
They finally pulled apart when Shishido's lungs started to burn from the lack of oxygen. He remembered the interrupted conversation, and said, "I like you, too, just so you know."
Choutarou looked a bit dazed. "Oh," he said. "Yeah, I kind of figured."
"We're going to be late for practice," Shishido said, not looking at the clock.
"I know."
They both smiled at the same time, and Choutarou kissed him again, and Shishido figured that Atobe could just deal with their being late.
This was more important than tennis.
by epigrammist
It was an accident. Shishido hadn't seen the tennis ball on the ground until it was too late, and then even a masterful display of flailing couldn't save him from tripping and crashing into Ohtori, who overbalanced on impact, but still managed to catch Shishido -- all of which meant that they ended up in a rather awkward tangle on the floor.
"...Ow."
"Shit." Shishido mentally punched himself for being such a klutz. "Sorry. Are you all right?"
Ohtori still looked a bit dazed, but he smiled. "I'm fine. I've taken worse falls before."
"Oh," said Shishido, and he suddenly noticed that he was more or less sitting in Ohtori's lap. Ohtori had one arm around him, from when he caught and saved Shishido from breaking his neck, and if they got any closer...
...shit. He was not thinking about kissing Ohtori. They were doubles partners. That would just be wrong.
"Shishido-senpai?" Ohtori was looking at him strangely.
Mentally, Shishido punched himself again. What the hell was he doing? Now would be a good time to get up and forget about everything that had just gone through his head and then go to tennis practice -- because that had been the original plan, hadn't it?
"Are you all right, Shishido-senpai?"
"Yeah. Yeah...I'm fine... Sorry." But Ohtori didn't seem inclined to move either, so maybe... No. No, oh god what the hell was wrong with him today?
"You've been acting kind of weird lately," Ohtori said, looking directly into Shishido's eyes. "Is something bothering you?"
Shishido swallowed. "Um."
"Are you mad at me?"
"No. Why would I be mad at you?"
"Then what is it?"
"It's..." Shishido could feel Ohtori's hand on his waist and it was burning him through the thin fabric of his t-shirt.
"Yes?"
"...I can't tell you," Shishido said lamely. He could feel his cheeks heating up, and he wanted to look away, but couldn't quite bring himself to admit defeat like that.
Shit. This was so unfair.
After a moment, Ohtori said quietly, "Was it what Mukahi-senpai said?"
Shishido blinked. "What?"
"Remember what Mukahi-senpai said the other day, in the locker rooms? You tried to beat him up for it, but then Atobe-buchou came in and stopped the two of you."
"Oh, that... Mukahi was asking for it."
"I wondered why it bothered you so much, since we all knew he was joking."
"It wasn't funny."
"Of course it wasn't."
"And it wasn't true."
"No, it wasn't."
"It didn't mean anything."
"But didn't it?"
"Mukahi was being stupid."
"So why did it bother you?"
"It didn't."
"You punched him in the face."
"He was being an idiot."
"You always say that about Mukahi-senpai, but you don't always hit him."
"I was...having a bad day."
"Because of what he said?"
"No."
"Because of me?"
"No!"
"Did I have anything to do with it?"
"Not...really."
"But it did." It wasn't a question.
Shishido fought the urge to squirm. "...yeah. I guess."
"Do you like me, Shishido-senpai?"
"Well... Yeah. Sure."
Ohtori was looking at him intently. Shishido felt his mouth go dry. What the hell was going on here?
"I want to know," Ohtori said after a moment. He swallowed. "Because..."
"Because what?"
"...because I like you. A lot."
Shishido felt like someone had just slapped him in the face with a frozen fish.
"Does that bother you, Shishido-senpai?"
Shit. This was still so wrong but-- Oh, to hell with it, because that look on Choutarou's face was just too damn cute, and if Shishido thought about this for much longer, he was going to find a way to talk himself out of it.
So he stopped thinking and just kissed Choutarou on the lips.
His heart was trying to burst out of his ribcage, but he could feel Choutarou's heartbeat racing, too, and then Choutarou's arms were around him, and Shishido had his hands tangled in Choutarou's hair, and damn this felt good. Really, really good.
They finally pulled apart when Shishido's lungs started to burn from the lack of oxygen. He remembered the interrupted conversation, and said, "I like you, too, just so you know."
Choutarou looked a bit dazed. "Oh," he said. "Yeah, I kind of figured."
"We're going to be late for practice," Shishido said, not looking at the clock.
"I know."
They both smiled at the same time, and Choutarou kissed him again, and Shishido figured that Atobe could just deal with their being late.
This was more important than tennis.