AN: This is the continuation fic for Chocolates and Rackets! This fic was for white day so enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own Prince of Tennis
Hats and Matches
By: whiterose
As March 13 drew to a close, Echizen Ryoma could be seen changing out of his tennis practice clothes and into his school uniform. Lifting his worn out hat off his head, he swiped his hand across his forehead, gathering sweat along the way.
A sigh escaped his parted lips echoing around the empty change room. Everyone else had already left after the end of the practice but Ryoma, not wanting to go home to his nagging father, had opted to stay for an extra hour bouncing the tennis ball off a wall.
As he finished putting on his uniform, the door to the clubroom opening jostled Ryoma. He turned towards the door and was surprised to see Tezuka standing in his jersey. His meeting with the coach must have ended.
"Buchou."
"Echizen." The usual greeting parted the two as Tezuka settled into the room and began changing out of his tennis clothes. Ryoma gathered his belongings and was about to leave when a call from his Buchou stopped him.
"Echizen, do you remember the clay courts where we had our first match?"
A sense of thrill and anticipation filtered down his spine at the question. How could he ever forget that match? It was the match that literally changed his life.
"Hai."
"Meet me there tomorrow after practice."
"Che." With that, Ryoma tightened his grip on his bag and walked out of the room with a smirk on his lips.
The 14th of March dawned bright and early and so did Ryoma. It was to the shock of his family to see him up so early, but with so much adrenaline in him, Ryoma couldn't sleep much and had chosen to do some practice drills.
"Ne, shounen, hot date?" His ever so perverted father commented from behind the newspaper while he was eating his breakfast.
"Baka Oyaji," he mumbled out. Finishing his breakfast, Ryoma settled off to school.
As Ryoma settled into his desk, he tried to ignore the glances he was receiving from the surrounding girls. It looked like they were waiting for something. A look of hope had filtered across their faces when he reached into his bag, but it was quickly wiped off as he took out his books.
"Oi, Echizen!"
Ryoma looked up from his desk to the entrance of his classroom to find it was his sempai, Momoshiro that had called him. The grinning face of his sempai turned into the room and made his way over to the young boy's desk.
"Hehe! So how many do you have to reciprocate, Echizen?" A scowl twisted onto the prodigy's face as he looked up at Momo.
"What are you talking about, sempai."
"ARA! It's White Day Echizen!" All he received was a blank stare. "You do know what White Day is?" Another blank stare. "It's when you give chocolates back to the girls that gave you on Valentine's Day."
"Che. We never did that in America."
"So what! You still have to give something Echizen! You ate those chocolate that those girls gave you!!"
"Well, I didn't want it in the first place, so Horio took it. Since he ate them, he should give them chcocolates," he mumbled out while flipping through his textbook.
"Oi, Echizen," Momo sighed as he shook his head exasperatedly.
"Sempai, the bell is going to ring soon." And with a yell, Momo raced out of the room. Ryoma watched the door which Momo had just ran out of, leaning his cheek onto his hand which was held upright on the desk.
"White Day….hmm," he mumbled out as an image of Tezuka holding a racket flashed through his head. A smile bloomed across his lips at the image and he quickly covered it with his hand, though his eyes bared his unusual fit of happiness.
Ryoma made his way to the clay courts after practice that day. A thrum of adrenaline flowed through his body at the thought of the upcoming match. Playing a match with Tezuka always brought about something new and Ryoma couldn't help but get excited. Once he reached the courts he settled onto on of the benches and waited for Tezuka.
It was only ten minutes later before Ryoma heard the thundering of tennis shoes on pavement. Looking up and moving his weathered hat a little up, his golden eyes met that of soft brown. No words were spoken as Tezuka settled his bag next to Ryoma before retrieving his racket, which still looked like it was just bought yesterday even though it had been a month since Tezuka had been given that racket. A smile, almost similar to the one he had given in the classroom crept onto his lips which he hid by pulling his cap down.
"Ready Echizen."
Ryoma looked up, a smirk replacing the smile and glanced at Tezuka. To answer he retrieved his red racket and stepped onto the court.
The match ended with the score 6-6 and no tie breaker game was played. The panting players stumbled to the bench, the excitement still filtering through their system. It was the most satisfying match they had ever played even though it was a tie.
As Ryoma stood over his bag, gulping down water, Tezuka was looking through his bag having finished hydrating himself. As Ryoma placed the water bottle back into bag, the familiar presence of his hat was lifted from his head. As he turned around all he caught was the glint of glasses and intense brown eyes before a pair of soft lips ghosted over his own lips shooting tingles down to his toes before retreating. The presence of his hat was placed back onto his head but it felt different, it felt firmer. He blink open his eyes, not realizing that he had closed them before looking at Tezuka, who was holding his white cap in his left hand.
Reaching up, Ryoma lifted the hat off his head and looked at the new hat. However, to his surprise, the familiar appearance of his usual hat shone at him. Tezuka had bought him a new hat to replace his old worn out one just like he had bought Tezuka a new racket to replace his old one. It had the same appearance but was new.
"Happy White Day," Tezuka spoke out, breaking Ryoma's gaze from his present. Ryoma looked up at him and replaced his hat on top of his head.
"Happy White Day," he answered back. "But Buchou, there's one thing I have to tell you."
Tezuka quirked one of eyebrows as he looked at Ryoma.
"Mada mada dane." As soon as that phrase past Ryoma's lips, he pulled down Tezuka and caught his lips with his own, this one with more reassurance than the last. All Tezuka could do was drop the old hat and hold onto the younger male as he answered the kiss.
AN: Reviews are needed to bring you all more fics!! . '