Happy Santa_Smex, Everyone!
To: The Entire Community!
From:regulusa
Title: Margin of Error
Recipient's name: The Entire Community!
Rating: R
Pairing(s): Inui/Tezuka
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created by Konomi Takeshi. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
Author's Notes: Thank you to my beta, B! I hope you'll enjoy the fic, everyone.
Inui wishes to examine the way the water falls from the shower head and onto Tezuka's body. He wants to map every droplet of water - discover each possible path, find some pattern to the madness.
He watches Tezuka shower whenever he has the chance.
::
Tezuka is tired today. He has played a practice match and though his stamina has yet to run out, Inui knows that there is a 94% probability that Tezuka will retire to bed early later tonight. He plans on calling Tezuka at nine to tell him to go to bed if he hasn't already.
When Tezuka is tired, he takes, on average, five minutes longer in the shower after practice. Inui has noted the water is often 2-3 degrees warmer when Tezuka is tired as well, and that Tezuka closes his eyes and sighs deeply in an almost-relaxed, almost-unguarded state of bliss.
Inui obviously can't carry his notebook into the shower with him (he imagines the teasing he would have to put up with, not to mention the obvious problems of soaking wet pages and suspicious glances from Tezuka), so he takes all his data on Tezuka's showering habits in his head and writes it down as soon as he's out, dry and dressed.
It's simpler than he thought it would be.
There are some things that Inui can't bring himself to write down, however - not even in his most top-secret notebooks. He can't write about how every time Tezuka closes his eyes, he wants to do the same. He can't write about how part of him seems to jump to attention every time Tezuka sheds his towel, turns the water on, and stands under the shower head until he's nearly glowing in water and light and warm mist.
He won't write a thing about the change in the shade of Tezuka's hair from chestnut to dark brown. He won't write about the way Tezuka's muscles look when contracting to fetch the soap or wash his hair. He won't write about that fluttering feeling in his chest every time he is fortunate enough to be looking in Tezuka's direction when he comes that close to touching himself.
He won't write about how often he has wished that he could touch himself while watching Tezuka.
Inui shivers, though the water is still warm. He turns away from Tezuka, for there's a hint of panic setting in for the first time.
When did Inui stop examining Tezuka in order to collect data and start examining him for the sake of examining him? He never looks at any of the others with the same intensity that he does Tezuka, and this doesn't just apply to the shower but to every area of data-collecting.
As he rinses the shampoo from his hair he makes a mental checklist of all tennis-related and personal areas of Tezuka's life he has collected data on in the past. In any of these areas, is Inui slacking off and not collecting the needed data? If he is, the inefficiency in data-collection is bound to be caused by this same mysterious and illogical distraction he is experiencing right now. He vows to examine his recent data on Tezuka Kunimitsu very thoroughly once he is home and away from the very source of his distraction.
The problem at the moment, however, is that Inui can still hear Tezuka. He listens as Kikumaru turns off his shower and leaves, as Fuji does the same, then Momoshiro. Tezuka, it seems, is staying in the shower a full five minutes longer than he does on average.
Ii data, thinks Inui, checking his waterproof sports watch and thinking of ways to extend his own time in the shower to match Tezuka's. Perhaps he could dig out his razor and start shaving his chin (never mind that there is no stubble there and that there probably won't be any for at least another 5.4 days).
The rebellious, non-data-oriented part of him wants to simply turn back around and watch Tezuka again. This part of him is unconcerned about the possibility of Tezuka noticing his blatant staring. It is unconcerned with the complications this will no doubt bring, unless said complications result in-
Inui shivers. The water is getting cold.
The sound of Tezuka's shower running abruptly stops. Tezuka's squeaking footsteps can be heard as he walks from the soaked shower tiles and onto the drier locker room tiles; as he walks away.
Inui's heart seems to start and stop at the same time, and he follows soon after.
Data collection is complete for the day, yet he is uncertain whether he has been able to come any closer to his goal, and even more uncertain as to what his goal actually is.
Inui thinks that he used to know, but the goal has escaped him, morphed, and come back as something entirely different.
It scares him, and he heads home alone.
::
Inui doesn't call Tezuka at nine o'clock that night like he had planned. He, himself, had passed out in bed at roughly 8:44.
His phone vibrates in his pocket at exactly 9:05. He groggily digs it out and curses not having changed out of his day clothes before falling asleep when he sees the caller id.
He presses the green call button.
"Tezuka?"
"Inui."
There is a pause.
"I thought you would like to know," says Tezuka, "that I'm going to bed now."
Inui somehow finds the energy to smile. "Ah. Thank you, Tezuka. I will be following suit momentarily."
Before Inui can think to say any more, Tezuka hangs up.
Isn't that always the way, Inui thinks to himself, fondly recalling being hung up on by Tezuka several times in the past. What isn't always the way is that Tezuka called Inui first. He wonders what this means as he gets dressed for bed, and makes sure to leave his phone on, placed carefully next to his glasses on his bedside table.
Who knows, Tezuka may call again.
::
He doesn't. He doesn't call again that week, or the next week, or for several weeks, but it doesn't matter. When a call must be made, it is Inui who makes it, and he does not allow exhaustion or confusion to prevent him from doing so ever again.
The confusion instead affects him in other ways. He finds himself writing down the wrong data, for example, or not taking data at all and instead drawing bespectacled faces and little hearts in his notebook, which he must hurry to erase so often that most of his pencils no longer have erasers.
And then there are the showers.
Inui has begun to love-hate them. Tezuka always spends a little extra time in the shower, and Inui always follows suit, though he can't for the life of him figure out why, even with the help of his data. Part of him thinks that perhaps whatever this is goes beyond data, beyond facts and truths and everything else that can be figured out rationally.
Perhaps Tezuka is being irrational, like when he had called Inui at 9:05. Perhaps Inui is being irrational, like every time he draws hearts in his notebook instead of facts and figures.
Perhaps…
Inui glances at Tezuka through the hot steam of the showers and is surprised to see Tezuka glancing back. He sees Tezuka's eyes go wide for a single moment before they both look away again. Inui counts to fifteen before looking back, and when he does, Tezuka is staring back as well.
Neither of them are scared this time, or if they are, they're doing their best to hide it. Tezuka's eyes are challenging him, inviting him. To do what, though?
To move.
Closer?
Yes.
How close?
As close as he dares.
Inui's heart is beating faster and for the first time in a long time, he is aware of how naked he is in this shower, and how noticeable certain things would be if ever they became visible. Thinking about such things doesn't help his comfort level, and his discomfort is making it worse, thus it is a horrible, dangerous cycle and Inui dares not see where it leads.
Tezuka's gaze is solid, however - demanding. He doesn't look away, but he does eventually look down.
Inui feels as if he can't look away either, even when Tezuka's eyes meet his own once more. There is a question there, but Inui is no mind-reader and wouldn't be able to decipher it, even if he wasn't already too mortified to attempt to do so.
For a while the only sound is that of the water hitting their bodies and the floor, and that of Inui's own heartbeat pounding in his chest and his ears. Finally, Tezuka closes his eyes slightly as if in disappointment and turns back toward his shower, raising a hand to turn off the water.
It is then that Inui begins to understand, if only slightly. Tezuka expects… Tezuka wants…
Inui doesn't remember walking over to Tezuka, doesn't remember touching water-soaked brown hair and pushing it away almost reverently. He only vaguely remembers the look in Tezuka's eyes, warm and surprised, but unguarded. He does remember Tezuka touching his face and leaning in for the kiss, which is warmer than the warmest shower, somehow wetter than expected and also softer.
He remembers the rest of it too - in fact, it ends up engraved in his mind forever after: pushing Tezuka against the shower wall, getting sprayed in the eye accidentally and cursing, touching warm, wet skin, tasting it, heavy breathing and no words until Inui whispers, "You wanted…"
It isn’t even a question but Tezuka answers it anyway. "Yes."
One moment is all it takes for everything to fall into place in Inui's mind. "More time in the shower."
This isn't a question either but Tezuka answers it anyway. "Yes. To get your attention."
"Calling me at 9:05."
"Yes."
Inui almost pulls away then but Tezuka pulls him back. "Didn't you see this coming from your data?" Tezuka asks, and Inui sighs. Laughs.
"Tezuka," he says as he buries his head in Tezuka's neck and tastes the skin there. "You know I've never been able to collect adequate data on you."
Tezuka lets out a breath and now that they're closer it's become quite obvious exactly how naked they are, and exactly how much they are wanting this.
Inui meets Tezuka's eyes, though, and they are as determined as ever, asking for permission but not waiting for an answer as his hand moves down and encircles Inui's cock. Inui closes his eyes and breathes faster because this is different, so very different and not what he had expected and maybe it's also a little bit wrong, but it feels right, especially when Tezuka moves his hand.
Inui opens his eyes when Tezuka starts kissing him again, when his tongue begins to lick at Inui's lips and Inui tentatively licks back, tasting water and salt and green tea and Tezuka, and soon his hand finds Tezuka's own cock and Tezuka is moaning into his mouth. Inui can't help bucking a little into Tezuka's hand, just as he can't help biting Tezuka's lip accidentally.
"S-sorry," he tries, uncertain as to the proper etiquette in a situation like this.
"Don't be," Tezuka whispers, and somehow, when Tezuka whispers like that, in that tone, he doesn’t sound like anyone's authority figure, or anyone's rival. He sounds fifteen years old and in the heat of the moment - this moment.
And Inui's the one making him sound like that. He will have to add this to his data, for whatever good it will do. Perhaps the only good will be recalling the feeling in his chest, as if he's flying, that such a realization has given him. He smiles and kisses Tezuka again, harder, rougher, as his hand on Tezuka's cock has become - impatient, wanting, needing.
The water is only lukewarm but the water doesn't matter anymore, only the two of them do. When Tezuka, weak-kneed, clings to him as he comes, Inui welcomes the extra heat, the breath on his neck, the come on his hand. Tezuka continues stroking even as he catches his breath, squeezes and twists gently but firmly, until Inui is biting down a moan and coming into Tezuka's hand.
They stand there catching their breath for several moments, just clinging, until Tezuka moves so that he's under the spray of the water again and shivers. Inui doesn't know if he should be staring or not, but he does so anyway, and after a moment of hesitation he's shivering under the spray of the shower too.
When the lukewarm water hits, it washes away the cold, the heat, the come, and the feeling of Tezuka's body against his own, but when Tezuka turns it off the heat is there again in the form of Tezuka's body, and his lips soon follow.
Inui doesn't even pretend to examine the paths the droplets of water take across and down Tezuka's body. It was never the water he had been interested in; in fact, most of his data on Tezuka was meaningless because this could never be described by data.
This is 100% emotion, minus 3-5% accounting for hormones.
And even with that, he could be wrong.