The Suit - Chapter 1 (Bleach, Sado/Ishida)
Title: The Suit, Chapter 1/?
Rating: currently R
Pairing: Sado/Ishida
Warnings: Set in Bleach universe, but the time skip made it A/R. Sexual concepts. Violence in later chapters.
Summary: With less than a year left before Uryuu heads off to university, he'd been certain he'd avoid all the complications and distractions of a high-school romance. His attraction to Chad threatens to throw a wrench in his neatly-laid plans.
Chapter 1
There's a gap in between
There's a gap where we meet
The sun poured down on the rooftop, warming the concrete and creating stark black shadows around Kurosaki Ichigo and his usual clique. It soaked through Uryuu's shirt, making his shoulders tingle with warmth as he half-listened to the foursome carrying on an animated discussion from several feet away. It wasn't eavesdropping, as he was ostensibly eating lunch with them-even if he wasn't exactly sitting with them. The roof was a big place, and in his opinion, companionship didn't mean that one had to be crowded.
"Harutoki's wedding's not too far off now," Ichigo said.
He got a slow nod from Chad in answer. Popping a handful of chips into his mouth and crunching them noisily, Ichigo asked, "Did you find your suit?"
"It doesn't fit anymore."
Uryuu's attention sharpened. He chewed thoughtfully, subtly observing Sado Yasutora-Chad, to his friends-the impossibly wide shoulders, the long, long legs, the square-palmed hands that made his water bottle look like a salt-shaker.
"I just saw you in it two months ago!" Keigo protested, his eyes wide. "Are you seriously still growing? Man, that's freaky."
"I'll wear my uniform," Chad said quietly, and then went back to eating his lunch.
"You can't wear your uniform to a western wedding!" Keigo argued. "You've got to wear a suit or something! The uniform's just out of the question."
"Actually, Chad, I agree with Keigo," Mizuiro said, his voice cool.
Ichigo frowned at Chad, who simply shrugged.
"You can't buy one?" Keigo asked. "There's that place downtown that's always got suits on sale-you've seen the commercials."
"Nah, they don't have any his size," Ichigo said, his frown deepening the furrow between his eyebrows.
The wind kicked up, whipping around the roof, and Uryuu placed his juice box atop his wrappers to keep them from flying away. He watched Chad as they all sat deep in thought.
Mizuiro tucked his hair neatly behind his ear. "I'll be going to Tokyo next weekend; I could keep an eye out for something. They have all kinds of specialty clothing stores in the city."
Chad shook his head slowly, which Ichigo interpreted: "He can't afford it. His stipend doesn't cover much more than rent and groceries."
"Thank you for the offer, though," Chad added. For a few moments the rooftop was quiet but for the wind, until a distant, feminine shriek, followed by raucous laughter, sounded from the ground below.
"My dad might have a suit that you could let out," Ichigo offered around a mouthful of sandwich. "He's a pretty big guy."
Uryuu took a deep breath, then sighed, eyeing Chad's wide shoulders. That would absolutely not work. "Not big enough," he interjected, and Ichigo jerked his head in Uryuu's direction as if he'd forgotten he was there. Which he probably had. "Sado-kun's obviously several sizes larger than your father. That kind of alteration would be impossible."
Ichigo made a disgusted noise and popped the rest of his sandwich into his mouth, and the bell rang before they could discuss the subject any further.
***
Throughout the rest of the day, Uryuu mulled over the problem. The solution was simple, really, and he'd been on the verge of suggesting it up there, on the roof. Now though, he was glad he hadn't; that kind of friendliness was something he was hesitant to publicly display, even after all he'd been through with Ichigo and Chad and the others.
He took mental stock of his supplies, and did a few calculations concerning the lengths of fabric he had at home, and after the last bell rang, he took a left at the school gates instead of the right that would take him to his home.
He walked a block, and then leaned against a streetlamp in a patch of sunshine and waited, thinking idly about Chad's problem. He'd never given much thought to what it must mean, to be so big in a country where people were generally so small-he supposed it made sense, then, why Chad was so partial to the big, flower-print shirts he frequently wore. There couldn't be wide variety of wardrobe choices in his size.
After about five minutes, Chad strolled into view. His shaggy head perked up when he caught sight of Uryuu.
"Ishida," he greeted with a small smile.
"Hello, Sado-kun." Uryuu fell into step beside him. Knowing that Chad wouldn't ask what he was doing walking him home, Uryuu jumped straight into his offer.
"I have some experience in tailoring suits," he began, and he felt his palm slip on the strap of his satchel, and he realized that he was actually a little nervous. He cleared his throat. "I also have a pattern I could alter and a bolt of cloth at home. It would be grey, and maybe a little heavy for the season, but I could make you a suit."
They walked half a block before Chad answered, "That would be too much work."
"It would be a good challenge," Uryuu countered, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I've never tailored for someone of your... dimensions. I could learn from it."
Chad stopped and turned his head to face him, studying his expression. Sunlight glowed along the hard curve of his jaw and caught in his thick brown hair, bringing out highlights that shimmered like copper wire.
Suddenly Uryuu was even more nervous. "I insist," he said, his voice confident and edging into bossy. "You want to go to your friend's wedding, don't you?"
Through the fringe of his hair, Chad studied him for a few more long seconds. "All right," he said, smiling. "Thank you."
Uryuu nodded and felt the knot of tension in his chest melt away. He began walking again. "I have my tape and notebook with me, so we can get your measurements today, if that's acceptable."
"That's fine," Chad said from beside him.
About fifteen minutes of walking in a companionable silence brought them to Chad's place, and Chad held the door open to let him in. Uryuu toed off his shoes and glanced around; at first look, it was a tiny little box of an apartment, the view of the river through the front window its only redeeming feature.
Chad placed his book-bag on a low table and fished a pair of water bottles out of the refrigerator.
With a slightly preoccupied "Thanks," Uryuu accepted the bottle of water, then watched Chad's back as the other man strode into the bathroom. He took a few sips of water, eyes roaming around the apartment once more. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the dimmer lighting in here, he could see that his first impression wasn't quite accurate. Sure, it was small, but it wasn't at all cramped, and it felt very comfortable. Futon folded neatly in the corner, interesting posters on the walls, a shelf filled with books and CDs and vinyl records. A bass guitar on a stand beside a small amp. Interesting.
Deciding he'd spent enough time being nosy, Uryuu walked deeper into the apartment to a small, clean kitchenette, where he placed his satchel on the counter beside a handful of college brochures. He eyeballed them, slightly curious. All of them seemed to be for schools in and around Tokyo. It looked like a smaller version of the stack on his own desk at home.
At a soft footfall, he turned. And had all the thoughts knocked right out of his brain, because Chad had come up behind him silently, and was now standing there with his hands at his sides, his posture totally relaxed... and he was wearing nothing but a pair of white boxer shorts.
Uryuu blinked.
"Something wrong?" Chad asked, shifting his weight slowly from one foot to another.
"No, no, you just surprised me," Uryuu prevaricated, glad that his brain was cooperating at least that much. "I didn't know you'd be standing there."
"Sorry," Chad said with a duck of his head.
"It's fine," Uryuu said, with conviction. "I just need to make a sheet for you, and we'll begin."
At Chad's nod, Uryuu turned back to the counter and opened his notebook. He leafed through to a page with a short column of pre-written labels; the basic measurements he'd need for any project. Height, shoulders, chest, waist, hips, inseam. He pencilled in 'Sado Yasutora' at the top of the page, and then began adding additional notations. Neck, biceps, thighs. He bit the tip of his pencil and added more. He'd neared the bottom of the page when Chad spoke up behind him.
"That many?"
Uryuu glanced back to see Chad leaning in, reading over his shoulder. He cleared his throat. "You have a... unique build."
When Chad simply nodded, Uryuu made one more notation, and then turned smartly on his heel.
"Now we can begin," he announced.
Chad stood still as a statue as Uryuu circled him and began the process. When Uryuu was at his back, he let his eyes roam over the heavy, dense musculature of Chad's body. Unique was the perfect word to describe him; Uryuu didn't think that there was a single human in existence whose body was quite the same as the one before him. Uryuu had a fine grasp on male anatomy, and yet Chad had muscles that he had never seen outside of medical illustrations.
The skin of his back was soft and supple against Uryuu's knuckles when he stretched the measuring tape from shoulder to shoulder. And aside from a few long, pale scars, remnants no doubt from their jaunts to Hueco Mundo, it was a deep coppery tone that contrasted vividly against the bright yellow of the tape.
The valley along Chad's spine was about a knuckle deep, and the long muscles on either side of it twitched when Uryuu accidentally brushed the skin between Chad's shoulder-blades.
"Sorry," he said, and he went back to measuring, reflecting that the only thing that saved Chad from looking freakish with all this bulging muscle was the length of his limbs, of his spine, of his neck. It felt a little ungenerous as he thought it, and so he nudged his concentration elsewhere.
To the posters on the wall, the neat stacks of CDs on the bookshelf and piled before a portable CD player, the bass guitar. He wondered what kind of music Chad liked. Frowning, he let his hands work, and he wondered why he didn't know this already. What did he know about Chad, anyway?
I should really know a little more about someone I consider one of my closest friends, he thought, with more than a little self-recrimination.
Now was as good a time as any. He stood and circled Chad, determined to fix that oversight. "How do you know the groom?" he asked as he motioned for Chad to raise his arms.
"He plays drums in the band," Chad answered quietly.
Too late, Uryuu realized that he should have taken the chest measurement from behind. That is, if he wanted to avoid the awkwardness of reaching his arms around Chad's broad chest, and the sudden intimacy of the backs of his fingers skimming over Chad's pectorals as he secured the tape, knuckles glancing over dark nipples. Which were hard when Uryuu re-adjusted the tape, unable to believe that the measurement was accurate.
But accurate it was, and Uryuu's face felt slightly warm as he turned to make a notation. Next came Chad's waist, and as Uryuu pulled his hands away, he continued speaking.
"How long have you been playing together?" he asked, kneeling to measure the fist-sized bulges of Chad's calves.
"A few years," Chad said, his voice distant.
Furrowing his brow, Uryuu brought the ends of the measuring tape around the circumference of Chad's thigh-which was lightly dusted with dark, soft hair, and bigger around than Uryuu's waist. Perhaps he should have taken into consideration Chad's taciturn nature before he began interrogating him. Or maybe Chad was just uncomfortable; he was nearly naked, after all, and while he didn't seem the type to be overly modest, you never could tell. What was it they always said about the quiet ones?
Chad made a soft, uncertain noise, and Uryuu's eyes shot up to his face. Which was turning pink now, a sight that made Uryuu determined not to blush, himself. Alas, it was out of his control, and he felt his cheeks heating as Chad said, "Ah..."
Speechlessness was not uncommon with Chad, but blushing was.
"What is it?" Uryuu asked, willing the blood to leave his face.
When he didn't get an answer, Uryuu let his eyes crawl back down, over Chad's chest and stomach, and - oh. Oh. Pressing against the thin cotton of Chad's boxers, his penis was a thick, full curve, arcing around toward his right hip. Uryuu was certain it was lengthening as he watched. He swallowed. He could actually see the outline of the rim of the head through the fabric, and he had to swallow again before he spoke.
"Oh, that happens during this sort of thing," he said, keeping his voice casual, professional. Even though it was an utter, bald-faced lie, in Uryuu's experience-or it would have been, if at that very moment it hadn't been happening to him, as well. "Don't worry," he said confidently. "I'm almost finished."
He couldn't not look at Chad's crotch now, as he drew the tape up the inside of Chad's leg for his inseam measurement, and he was intensely aware of his position, of the fact that Chad's erection was inches away from his face, and only covered by a layer of fabric so thin that Uryuu could make out the darkness of his skin through it. It was utterly ridiculous, not to mention embarrassing. For both of them.
He slid the tape higher up the inside of Chad's thigh and in an uncharacteristic decision to overthrow his usual methods, instead of moving things aside himself, or asking an obviously embarrassed Chad to do it, Uryuu simply estimated. It left a bad taste in his mouth, but it got him off his knees and let him turn his back to Chad, with both of their dignities reasonably intact. He wrote down his measurements, breathing slowly and willing his own budding erection to go away, and he stared at the page with a sigh.
Taking slow, calming breaths, Uryuu scribbled nonsense in the margin of his notebook just to give himself an excuse to not turn around again immediately. Forcing an even tone, he said, "I'll begin work on this tonight. It'll definitely be ready before the wedding - but it might take a few fittings before it's complete."
"That's fine. Just tell me what I need to do," Chad said, his voice steadier than Uryuu'd expected. Uryuu smiled wryly; must be nice to have nerves of steel. But Chad's calm delivery diffused some of the tension, and made it okay for Uryuu to turn around again. Though he very carefully did not look down.
"I will." Uryuu closed his notebook and began packing his things away. "I'm finished here, so I'll be going - I've got a lot of studying to do."
Chad seemed to hesitate before he spoke. "Okay. Thank you for doing this, Ishida-kun," he said, seeming completely at ease with his semi-nudity now, and the erection that he may or may not have had. "I owe you one."
"No, no," Uryuu protested, shaking his head fervently in denial.
"Really," Chad said, smiling. "If you ever need anything-"
"It's no problem," Uryuu interrupted. "I mean it. I look forward to finishing it," he said with determination, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He walked to the front door, hoping to end the conversation. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."
"Goodbye, Ishida-kun," Chad said, just out of sight of the open doorway when Uryuu stepped outside.
When the door snicked closed behind him, Uryuu let out a deep, gusty sigh. Well, that hadn't gone the way he'd planned. He never would have anticipated the tension-or his own level of distraction at the sight of Chad's body. This was... highly irregular.
With a sinking feeling in his gut, he looped his thumb under the strap of his bag and began the long walk home. When he turned the key in the lock of his home, he was still weighing the encounter in his mind. Through his solitary dinner, he dissected his reactions, and by the time he climbed under the blankets to sleep, he'd almost admitted that he had a problem.
Looking up into the darkness two restless, agitated hours later, he sighed and admitted defeat. No use lying to himself.
He'd thought he would make it through high school without the complications that came along with dating and relationships; all this time, and he'd never met anyone for whom his attraction was more than a shallow, short-lived thing, so he'd assumed it would remain that way.
Uryuu blinked. Of course. That was it. This was just a little infatuation, one that would go away as easily as it began.
And if it made his heart race when he imagined Chad's lips against his own-or the fact that he imagined Chad kissing him at all-well, that could be explained. He knew Chad, respected him, liked him, in a way that had nothing to do with romance. Of course this attraction would be stronger than any in the past.
But fleeting and short-lived it had to be, he decided with relief, and he'd treat it as such. He gave it a week, at most. And he wouldn't make it worse by dwelling on the texture of warm skin under his hands, the way those high cheekbones looked darkened with a flush, the heavy, fabric-shrouded shape of the cock just inches away.
With a groan, Uryuu snatched up his pillow and jammed it down over his face.
...TBC
__________________________
next chapter
A/N: I have been writing this on and off for almost a year XD I've finally got it almost finished, and I'm posting now to give myself the motivation to fill in the blanks in the last two chapters. Feedback is always appreciated! ^___^
Rating: currently R
Pairing: Sado/Ishida
Warnings: Set in Bleach universe, but the time skip made it A/R. Sexual concepts. Violence in later chapters.
Summary: With less than a year left before Uryuu heads off to university, he'd been certain he'd avoid all the complications and distractions of a high-school romance. His attraction to Chad threatens to throw a wrench in his neatly-laid plans.
Chapter 1
There's a gap in between
There's a gap where we meet
The sun poured down on the rooftop, warming the concrete and creating stark black shadows around Kurosaki Ichigo and his usual clique. It soaked through Uryuu's shirt, making his shoulders tingle with warmth as he half-listened to the foursome carrying on an animated discussion from several feet away. It wasn't eavesdropping, as he was ostensibly eating lunch with them-even if he wasn't exactly sitting with them. The roof was a big place, and in his opinion, companionship didn't mean that one had to be crowded.
"Harutoki's wedding's not too far off now," Ichigo said.
He got a slow nod from Chad in answer. Popping a handful of chips into his mouth and crunching them noisily, Ichigo asked, "Did you find your suit?"
"It doesn't fit anymore."
Uryuu's attention sharpened. He chewed thoughtfully, subtly observing Sado Yasutora-Chad, to his friends-the impossibly wide shoulders, the long, long legs, the square-palmed hands that made his water bottle look like a salt-shaker.
"I just saw you in it two months ago!" Keigo protested, his eyes wide. "Are you seriously still growing? Man, that's freaky."
"I'll wear my uniform," Chad said quietly, and then went back to eating his lunch.
"You can't wear your uniform to a western wedding!" Keigo argued. "You've got to wear a suit or something! The uniform's just out of the question."
"Actually, Chad, I agree with Keigo," Mizuiro said, his voice cool.
Ichigo frowned at Chad, who simply shrugged.
"You can't buy one?" Keigo asked. "There's that place downtown that's always got suits on sale-you've seen the commercials."
"Nah, they don't have any his size," Ichigo said, his frown deepening the furrow between his eyebrows.
The wind kicked up, whipping around the roof, and Uryuu placed his juice box atop his wrappers to keep them from flying away. He watched Chad as they all sat deep in thought.
Mizuiro tucked his hair neatly behind his ear. "I'll be going to Tokyo next weekend; I could keep an eye out for something. They have all kinds of specialty clothing stores in the city."
Chad shook his head slowly, which Ichigo interpreted: "He can't afford it. His stipend doesn't cover much more than rent and groceries."
"Thank you for the offer, though," Chad added. For a few moments the rooftop was quiet but for the wind, until a distant, feminine shriek, followed by raucous laughter, sounded from the ground below.
"My dad might have a suit that you could let out," Ichigo offered around a mouthful of sandwich. "He's a pretty big guy."
Uryuu took a deep breath, then sighed, eyeing Chad's wide shoulders. That would absolutely not work. "Not big enough," he interjected, and Ichigo jerked his head in Uryuu's direction as if he'd forgotten he was there. Which he probably had. "Sado-kun's obviously several sizes larger than your father. That kind of alteration would be impossible."
Ichigo made a disgusted noise and popped the rest of his sandwich into his mouth, and the bell rang before they could discuss the subject any further.
***
Throughout the rest of the day, Uryuu mulled over the problem. The solution was simple, really, and he'd been on the verge of suggesting it up there, on the roof. Now though, he was glad he hadn't; that kind of friendliness was something he was hesitant to publicly display, even after all he'd been through with Ichigo and Chad and the others.
He took mental stock of his supplies, and did a few calculations concerning the lengths of fabric he had at home, and after the last bell rang, he took a left at the school gates instead of the right that would take him to his home.
He walked a block, and then leaned against a streetlamp in a patch of sunshine and waited, thinking idly about Chad's problem. He'd never given much thought to what it must mean, to be so big in a country where people were generally so small-he supposed it made sense, then, why Chad was so partial to the big, flower-print shirts he frequently wore. There couldn't be wide variety of wardrobe choices in his size.
After about five minutes, Chad strolled into view. His shaggy head perked up when he caught sight of Uryuu.
"Ishida," he greeted with a small smile.
"Hello, Sado-kun." Uryuu fell into step beside him. Knowing that Chad wouldn't ask what he was doing walking him home, Uryuu jumped straight into his offer.
"I have some experience in tailoring suits," he began, and he felt his palm slip on the strap of his satchel, and he realized that he was actually a little nervous. He cleared his throat. "I also have a pattern I could alter and a bolt of cloth at home. It would be grey, and maybe a little heavy for the season, but I could make you a suit."
They walked half a block before Chad answered, "That would be too much work."
"It would be a good challenge," Uryuu countered, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I've never tailored for someone of your... dimensions. I could learn from it."
Chad stopped and turned his head to face him, studying his expression. Sunlight glowed along the hard curve of his jaw and caught in his thick brown hair, bringing out highlights that shimmered like copper wire.
Suddenly Uryuu was even more nervous. "I insist," he said, his voice confident and edging into bossy. "You want to go to your friend's wedding, don't you?"
Through the fringe of his hair, Chad studied him for a few more long seconds. "All right," he said, smiling. "Thank you."
Uryuu nodded and felt the knot of tension in his chest melt away. He began walking again. "I have my tape and notebook with me, so we can get your measurements today, if that's acceptable."
"That's fine," Chad said from beside him.
About fifteen minutes of walking in a companionable silence brought them to Chad's place, and Chad held the door open to let him in. Uryuu toed off his shoes and glanced around; at first look, it was a tiny little box of an apartment, the view of the river through the front window its only redeeming feature.
Chad placed his book-bag on a low table and fished a pair of water bottles out of the refrigerator.
With a slightly preoccupied "Thanks," Uryuu accepted the bottle of water, then watched Chad's back as the other man strode into the bathroom. He took a few sips of water, eyes roaming around the apartment once more. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the dimmer lighting in here, he could see that his first impression wasn't quite accurate. Sure, it was small, but it wasn't at all cramped, and it felt very comfortable. Futon folded neatly in the corner, interesting posters on the walls, a shelf filled with books and CDs and vinyl records. A bass guitar on a stand beside a small amp. Interesting.
Deciding he'd spent enough time being nosy, Uryuu walked deeper into the apartment to a small, clean kitchenette, where he placed his satchel on the counter beside a handful of college brochures. He eyeballed them, slightly curious. All of them seemed to be for schools in and around Tokyo. It looked like a smaller version of the stack on his own desk at home.
At a soft footfall, he turned. And had all the thoughts knocked right out of his brain, because Chad had come up behind him silently, and was now standing there with his hands at his sides, his posture totally relaxed... and he was wearing nothing but a pair of white boxer shorts.
Uryuu blinked.
"Something wrong?" Chad asked, shifting his weight slowly from one foot to another.
"No, no, you just surprised me," Uryuu prevaricated, glad that his brain was cooperating at least that much. "I didn't know you'd be standing there."
"Sorry," Chad said with a duck of his head.
"It's fine," Uryuu said, with conviction. "I just need to make a sheet for you, and we'll begin."
At Chad's nod, Uryuu turned back to the counter and opened his notebook. He leafed through to a page with a short column of pre-written labels; the basic measurements he'd need for any project. Height, shoulders, chest, waist, hips, inseam. He pencilled in 'Sado Yasutora' at the top of the page, and then began adding additional notations. Neck, biceps, thighs. He bit the tip of his pencil and added more. He'd neared the bottom of the page when Chad spoke up behind him.
"That many?"
Uryuu glanced back to see Chad leaning in, reading over his shoulder. He cleared his throat. "You have a... unique build."
When Chad simply nodded, Uryuu made one more notation, and then turned smartly on his heel.
"Now we can begin," he announced.
Chad stood still as a statue as Uryuu circled him and began the process. When Uryuu was at his back, he let his eyes roam over the heavy, dense musculature of Chad's body. Unique was the perfect word to describe him; Uryuu didn't think that there was a single human in existence whose body was quite the same as the one before him. Uryuu had a fine grasp on male anatomy, and yet Chad had muscles that he had never seen outside of medical illustrations.
The skin of his back was soft and supple against Uryuu's knuckles when he stretched the measuring tape from shoulder to shoulder. And aside from a few long, pale scars, remnants no doubt from their jaunts to Hueco Mundo, it was a deep coppery tone that contrasted vividly against the bright yellow of the tape.
The valley along Chad's spine was about a knuckle deep, and the long muscles on either side of it twitched when Uryuu accidentally brushed the skin between Chad's shoulder-blades.
"Sorry," he said, and he went back to measuring, reflecting that the only thing that saved Chad from looking freakish with all this bulging muscle was the length of his limbs, of his spine, of his neck. It felt a little ungenerous as he thought it, and so he nudged his concentration elsewhere.
To the posters on the wall, the neat stacks of CDs on the bookshelf and piled before a portable CD player, the bass guitar. He wondered what kind of music Chad liked. Frowning, he let his hands work, and he wondered why he didn't know this already. What did he know about Chad, anyway?
I should really know a little more about someone I consider one of my closest friends, he thought, with more than a little self-recrimination.
Now was as good a time as any. He stood and circled Chad, determined to fix that oversight. "How do you know the groom?" he asked as he motioned for Chad to raise his arms.
"He plays drums in the band," Chad answered quietly.
Too late, Uryuu realized that he should have taken the chest measurement from behind. That is, if he wanted to avoid the awkwardness of reaching his arms around Chad's broad chest, and the sudden intimacy of the backs of his fingers skimming over Chad's pectorals as he secured the tape, knuckles glancing over dark nipples. Which were hard when Uryuu re-adjusted the tape, unable to believe that the measurement was accurate.
But accurate it was, and Uryuu's face felt slightly warm as he turned to make a notation. Next came Chad's waist, and as Uryuu pulled his hands away, he continued speaking.
"How long have you been playing together?" he asked, kneeling to measure the fist-sized bulges of Chad's calves.
"A few years," Chad said, his voice distant.
Furrowing his brow, Uryuu brought the ends of the measuring tape around the circumference of Chad's thigh-which was lightly dusted with dark, soft hair, and bigger around than Uryuu's waist. Perhaps he should have taken into consideration Chad's taciturn nature before he began interrogating him. Or maybe Chad was just uncomfortable; he was nearly naked, after all, and while he didn't seem the type to be overly modest, you never could tell. What was it they always said about the quiet ones?
Chad made a soft, uncertain noise, and Uryuu's eyes shot up to his face. Which was turning pink now, a sight that made Uryuu determined not to blush, himself. Alas, it was out of his control, and he felt his cheeks heating as Chad said, "Ah..."
Speechlessness was not uncommon with Chad, but blushing was.
"What is it?" Uryuu asked, willing the blood to leave his face.
When he didn't get an answer, Uryuu let his eyes crawl back down, over Chad's chest and stomach, and - oh. Oh. Pressing against the thin cotton of Chad's boxers, his penis was a thick, full curve, arcing around toward his right hip. Uryuu was certain it was lengthening as he watched. He swallowed. He could actually see the outline of the rim of the head through the fabric, and he had to swallow again before he spoke.
"Oh, that happens during this sort of thing," he said, keeping his voice casual, professional. Even though it was an utter, bald-faced lie, in Uryuu's experience-or it would have been, if at that very moment it hadn't been happening to him, as well. "Don't worry," he said confidently. "I'm almost finished."
He couldn't not look at Chad's crotch now, as he drew the tape up the inside of Chad's leg for his inseam measurement, and he was intensely aware of his position, of the fact that Chad's erection was inches away from his face, and only covered by a layer of fabric so thin that Uryuu could make out the darkness of his skin through it. It was utterly ridiculous, not to mention embarrassing. For both of them.
He slid the tape higher up the inside of Chad's thigh and in an uncharacteristic decision to overthrow his usual methods, instead of moving things aside himself, or asking an obviously embarrassed Chad to do it, Uryuu simply estimated. It left a bad taste in his mouth, but it got him off his knees and let him turn his back to Chad, with both of their dignities reasonably intact. He wrote down his measurements, breathing slowly and willing his own budding erection to go away, and he stared at the page with a sigh.
Taking slow, calming breaths, Uryuu scribbled nonsense in the margin of his notebook just to give himself an excuse to not turn around again immediately. Forcing an even tone, he said, "I'll begin work on this tonight. It'll definitely be ready before the wedding - but it might take a few fittings before it's complete."
"That's fine. Just tell me what I need to do," Chad said, his voice steadier than Uryuu'd expected. Uryuu smiled wryly; must be nice to have nerves of steel. But Chad's calm delivery diffused some of the tension, and made it okay for Uryuu to turn around again. Though he very carefully did not look down.
"I will." Uryuu closed his notebook and began packing his things away. "I'm finished here, so I'll be going - I've got a lot of studying to do."
Chad seemed to hesitate before he spoke. "Okay. Thank you for doing this, Ishida-kun," he said, seeming completely at ease with his semi-nudity now, and the erection that he may or may not have had. "I owe you one."
"No, no," Uryuu protested, shaking his head fervently in denial.
"Really," Chad said, smiling. "If you ever need anything-"
"It's no problem," Uryuu interrupted. "I mean it. I look forward to finishing it," he said with determination, slinging his bag over his shoulder. He walked to the front door, hoping to end the conversation. "I'll see you at school tomorrow."
"Goodbye, Ishida-kun," Chad said, just out of sight of the open doorway when Uryuu stepped outside.
When the door snicked closed behind him, Uryuu let out a deep, gusty sigh. Well, that hadn't gone the way he'd planned. He never would have anticipated the tension-or his own level of distraction at the sight of Chad's body. This was... highly irregular.
With a sinking feeling in his gut, he looped his thumb under the strap of his bag and began the long walk home. When he turned the key in the lock of his home, he was still weighing the encounter in his mind. Through his solitary dinner, he dissected his reactions, and by the time he climbed under the blankets to sleep, he'd almost admitted that he had a problem.
Looking up into the darkness two restless, agitated hours later, he sighed and admitted defeat. No use lying to himself.
He'd thought he would make it through high school without the complications that came along with dating and relationships; all this time, and he'd never met anyone for whom his attraction was more than a shallow, short-lived thing, so he'd assumed it would remain that way.
Uryuu blinked. Of course. That was it. This was just a little infatuation, one that would go away as easily as it began.
And if it made his heart race when he imagined Chad's lips against his own-or the fact that he imagined Chad kissing him at all-well, that could be explained. He knew Chad, respected him, liked him, in a way that had nothing to do with romance. Of course this attraction would be stronger than any in the past.
But fleeting and short-lived it had to be, he decided with relief, and he'd treat it as such. He gave it a week, at most. And he wouldn't make it worse by dwelling on the texture of warm skin under his hands, the way those high cheekbones looked darkened with a flush, the heavy, fabric-shrouded shape of the cock just inches away.
With a groan, Uryuu snatched up his pillow and jammed it down over his face.
...TBC
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A/N: I have been writing this on and off for almost a year XD I've finally got it almost finished, and I'm posting now to give myself the motivation to fill in the blanks in the last two chapters. Feedback is always appreciated! ^___^