"We have a problem," Tezuka said to his three (remaining) boyfriends.
"So you said," Sanada replied. "So Ryoma's being pissy?"
"When's he not?"
"Well, apparently we're not giving him enough attention, or letting him be seme, or… something."
"He wants to top us?" Atobe asked, and they laughed. "But come now; we shan't panic. He'll return to his ore-sama eventually."
"No, Keigo," Fuji said. "This time I think we may need to try and win him back."
"It's Ryoma being sulky, what's exactly new here?"
"Come on, Syusuke's right," Tezuka said. "We have to think about it, how can we get him back?"
"Chocolate?"
Tezuka looked curiously at Atobe. "This is Ryoma we're talking about."
"…Tennis?"
"That'll work."
Tennis practice began on the courts of Seigaku, the regulars running their warm-up laps around the court, when Tezuka Kunimitsu turned up.
It took a while for anyone to notice, but once it had been picked up that Tezuka - yes, that Tezuka - was once again gracing their courts, the whole tennis team flocked toward him.
"Buchou! Can we still call you that?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Visiting Echizen-buchou, we assume?"
Ryoma, from across the courts, sent a dark glare in the former captain's direction, and adjusted his cap, before crossing his arms. Momo stopped close behind him, sending wary glances between Ryoma and Tezuka, unsure of whether or not he should actually say something.
Ryoma was, however, completely oblivious to his other boyfriends, which were spaced out around the court, connected to each other by walky-talkies.
"Tensai here," Fuji began, hidden in the bushes. "Ochibi-chan looks angry, as expected. Standing near him is The-Other-Woman. Got a clearer view, Genny-Gen-kun?"
Standing by the clubhouse doors was Sanada, collar pulled up too high for his face to be seen. "The-Other-Woman appears to be worried. Good, he should be. And why must that be my codename?"
"'Cause it's adorable, don't you think?" Fuji replied.
"No."
"Tensai, Genny-Gen-kun, we have no time for this."
"Apologies, Ore-sama," they both replied. "And what's your position?" Sanada added.
"Beneath the bleachers. Once we win Ochibi-chan's heart back, I plan to make him aware that I got myself dusty for him. He will have to pay."
"With sex?"
"Copious amounts of it."
"Works for me."
As this conversation continued, Tezuka turned out of the crowd, and moved toward Ryoma - who was still standing, arms crossed, at the opposite end of the courts.
"Tensai here - as Buchou approaches Ochibi-chan, Ochibi-chan's body language appears more nervous. The plan is working already."
"Ryoma," Tezuka said, as he reached the younger boy.
"Yes?" Ryoma snapped back.
"I came here today under sensei's orders -"
"Liar," Ryoma interrupted, but Tezuka plainly ignored it.
"- asking me to see if I have any suggestions to improve the team," the former captain finished, smirking. "And so I plan to try and change a few things."
Ryoma eyed him warily. "Things like… what exactly?"
"You'll just to have to play and see, won't you?"
Their eyes bore into one another's: Ryoma's a cross between angry and unsure, Tezuka's silently enjoying this.
"Oooh… he's really cross," Atobe remarked.
"Good, anger breeds good sex," Fuji added.
"And make-up sex is always the best!" Sanada said gleefully.
As the matches began, Tezuka stood off-court, arms crossed, watching the various groups assemble themselves. Seigaku tennis had always been good, but Tezuka had silently worried that after last year's tennis players - Fuji, Inui, Taka, Oishi, Eiji, and of course himself - left, the tennis team would decrease somewhat, but that didn't appear to be the case. They may have lacked some things - such as Inui's data or the Golden Pair - but in other aspects they seemed to have improved.
The team wasn't as good as before, arguably, but it was still good. Ryoma was an incredibly player, that never got old, and he bred incredible players after him. They looked up to Ryoma, they tried to take after him, they listened to him. They respected him. They worked hard for him. The team was thriving, with just a little push here or there, it would be brilliant. Just as it was before.
Tezuka tried to pay attention to all the matches, but his eyes consistently wandered to the far court, where Ryoma and Momo played against one another.
The two had a system similar to what he used to have with Fuji, or Oishi, the former-captain noted to himself. A familiarity of technique, they appeared so used to one another they almost automatically played to each other's weakness. They saw how one another played and could read each other's moves: it was a heated match, and an interesting one. Tezuka's eyes were drawn.
But he didn't like it. It went completely against all of his plans - although that was what he'd turned up to do, wasn't it? Disrupt the tennis system to his five-some-ridden benefit? And that was precisely what he intended to do.
He walked toward his boyfriend (could he still call him that?), and smirked to himself when he saw Ryoma notice. The latter pretended not to have realised Tezuka was approaching him, but his body language reflected it. He moved with a touch more awkwardness, and automatically pulled his cap further down on his face.
"Momoshiro," Tezuka said, and Momo nearly dropped his racket in surprise. He clearly hadn't seen Tezuka approach, although appeared to be on edge about it. Good, Tezuka thought to himself; he should realise that Ryoma is mine.
"Ye-yes?" Momo replied, rubbing the back of his head, his game with Ryoma completely forgotten.
"I think that your playing style has decreased since I left the school," Tezuka remarked, to which Ryoma snorted.
"You're just jealous," Ryoma commented.
Ah, it was true, Tezuka noted - but he wasn't about to admit that.
"Hardly," Tezuka replied, his gaze remaining fixed on Momo. "I think that you should be dropped from the regulars until your playing style has reached its former strength."
"What!?" Momo commented. "You can't just do that!"
By now it wasn't just them three involved in the argument, the rest of the tennis team silently watched on, slowly moving toward the gathering.
"Now, now - I'll help train you -"
"Oh no, you won't," Ryoma said, his eyes narrowing on Tezuka. "I'm the captain now, Tezuka-senpai. And we're not dropping Momo. Okay?"
Silence hung in the air, until one freshman piped up, "hey, maybe he has a good point."
"Yeah, maybe we should listen to Tezuka-buchou."
"D'you have any other ideas?"
"Wait a minute here," Ryoma interrupted. "As captain, I decide who stays on our team, and who goes on our team. We. Need. Momo."
"Do you?" Tezuka replied, watching Ryoma carefully. "Well, let me tell you that whilst playing Momoshiro, your comfort toward it drove you to play less than perfect, which is most definitely not what you should be doing. If you continue to play him, your tennis skills will decrease. And of this, I am not lying."
Exaggerating a little, maybe, Tezuka thought to himself: but not entirely lying. it was a cruel dead, bribing Ryoma with tennis (it's one offer he simply cannot refuse), but it needed to be done.
"M-maybe you should listen to him, Echizen-buchou…" a timid freshman suggested. "I mean, he does kind of have a point, and w-we can't have you get bad, can we?"
Ryoma sent the darkest glare he could muster toward Tezuka, before uttering a barely audible, "fine."
Somewhere in the shadows, a voice spoke into a walky-talky, "Phase one: separate Ochibi-chan and The-Other-Woman during tennis practice, initiated. Ore-same is very, very pleased."
Oh, thank you all for your lovely reviews! I was so excited! So yay for fivesome love, and remember to review again Next chapter the plan continues... (hopefully. I am yet to actually think of the plan. Give me time, people! I do have an ending though, I was relatively proud of myself... so yeah, I'm rambling, R&R!)