Chocolates

Author: Pixelated Optimism

Chocolates would never mean the same again.


"Wha—"

Her words were cut short when he smirked and placed his hat on her head. Unceremoniously he entered the house like he's been doing it for eternity. Propping his large tennis bag on the hallway he proceeded his barging into the kitchen, where she presently came before he started rapping on the door.

Following him in hot pursuit she found the Tennis Prince opening the fridge, looking for something non-existent at the present, because he snorted, said mada mada dane and looked at her with his usual bored expression.

She may have been acting overly frantic. True, this wasn't the first time Ryoma-kun's been inside the house. He was always on their kitchen since they entered third year, when she grew a spine and told him she liked him. It may have been a clear confession on her part, but to him it appeared to be a God-given pass to walk in and out of their house whenever he pleased. Her Obaa-chan thought it was funny, but she did think otherwise.

Since then, she considered her formalities towards him somewhat . . . warped. She never dared to call it an in between, seeing there's nothing to start off, with her neither being a friend or a girlfriend. Kikumaru-senpai and Momo-chan-senpai even congratulated her after doing her confession, saying it was a success and that no one would ever dare to think their ochibi is swaying to the other side again.

It was a wonder how the news flew that fast, since she made it sure it was a secret. It even created a buzz, and people did started considering they were together. She shooed off any wrong notions about them immediately, but Ryoma-kun made things worse by not saying anything, neither confirming nor denying it. Pretty much it made her think somehow they were really together and that Ryoma-kun was just too lazy putting labels on relationships, but she knew the very idea was just plain insanity.

"I thought you're in the U-17 Camp?" she asked faintly as he brushed past her. Instead of answering her, he stopped and looked at her, gave another huff and looked ahead.

"I sneaked out" he said, bored.

"You what?" she gasped. "What if they found out you're here? Obaa-chan would surely kill you."

"Doubt that" he scoffed airily, leaning on the counter. "They do it every other day"

"They?"

"High Schoolers" he rolled his eyes. "They cut off our chocolate ration"

She nearly dropped on the floor. Really? To sneak out from a camp just because of a silly reason was definitely not Echizen Ryoma's personality.

"That mental coach found out, of course"

He smirked. She felt like fainting.

"Aren't you supposed to give me chocolates?" he suddenly asked out of the blue. Her mind spacing out for seconds she suddenly realized what he was pertaining to and easily, her cheeks gave her away as the memory swished passed her consciousness, of the time when she dropped a promised, a time where the level of pheromones kicked high and she was feeling reckless and stupid and . . . girlfriend-like.

"M-Mou, Ryoma-kun, I-"

"Make me one" he ordered. "Girlfriends do that, ne?"

What did he just say?

He dropped his mada mada dane before he leaned and gave her a swift kiss.

She slapped the urge to cover her mouth.

Did he just consider her his . . .

Are they really . . .

She must be dreaming.

"B-But-the camp—Obaa-chan—trouble—R-Ryoma-kun—"

Before she could even finish her stammering the hat sitting on her head was taken off and someone took her by the waist and enveloped her in a tight tackle from behind. Surprised and definitely speechless she stood uprooted on her spot. Automatically she knew who was barging in her house. Like the Tennis Prince he developed inkling for going inside her house whenever he pleased and show her his manga collection. His barging in though started when she considered going all the way by giving him a special bento, a sign of good friendship on her part, but it was weirdly read out, nevertheless. His usual trips to Tokyo to visit her also became a big issue, though people knew part of his reasons was to beat Koshimae in spur of the moment matches.

"K-Kintarou-kun"

"Uryaa! It's good to see you again, Sakuno-chan" he giggled from behind, hiding his unruly red-hair under Echizen Ryoma's hat and perching his chin on her right shoulder "I was so excited to see you Koshimae and I-"

"Chocolates"

They both looked at one Echizen Ryoma, yawning as he looked at her.

"Oh, yeah, chocolates!" the red-head piped "They're such a meanie, Sakuno-chan. They won't let us eat chocolates. Koshimae says you'll give us some so I sneaked out and followed him."

Unbelievably, she looked at the Tennis Prince leaning on the counter as if everything was normal and boring.

"You said that?" she asked. The Tennis Prince gave a shrug.

"I said you'll give me some" he drawled. "He was pestering me."

"K-Kintarou-kun, I think you and Ryoma-kun would have to go back—"

"Nah" she felt him sigh on her shoulder "No coming back, No chocolates."

She waited for the two of them to budge and get bored but they didn't. Echizen Ryoma just stood there like a statue, silent and cool and uncaring and Tooyama Kintarou continued to huddle her up like she was some great stuffed toy. Seeing her case was as hopeless as it is, she resigned and sighed.

"O-Okay, I'll make some, b-but, you and Ryoma-kun would have to come back to the camp after"

"Yay!" the red-head giggled as she felt his arms tightening around her waist, making her giddy and light-headed and flustered. When she noticed the Tennis Prince was looking at them like hell immediately she pried herself off his tackle and just like that, went to work.

Or at least she thought she'd be working in peace.

It was minutes before her immersed in making chocolates self suddenly heard the nagging little voice inside her head.

Look. away.

She really tried, shifting her eyes and pretending that the sink was the most interesting thing she ever laid her eyes upon to, but it was no avail. She could feel their stares not leaving her face. Suddenly, now with remorse, she kind of wished she never let the two of them inside the house, with Obaa-chan away and her alone, but seeing him . . . seeing Ryoma-kun outside the door smirking was something she stupidly found irresistible, and there was no way Kintarou-kun would go out without his request.

Do you ever, ever regret a wish you so dearly wanted to happen?

She was processing the feeling right now.

She let out a sigh. It was a day of sore regrets. I wish I shouldn't have told him his chocolate was on the house. I should've just given the thing in school; I should've asked help from Tomo-chan, I should've just made no promise of giving a chocolate in the first place!

"Make it fast" the Tennis Prince complained, nudging her on the side with his finger. The latter nearly dropped the tray of nearly-made chocolates at this as he smirked. Clumsily she made her way to the freezer and dumped the tray inside, still avoiding his gaze.

"I can't believe Ryoma-kun and Kintarou-kun would pay a visit" she mumbled, facing the fridge.

"Don't be stupid" he drawled as the red-head giggled.

"Sakuno-chan that's just silly" he laughed. "If I live here I bet I'd always pay you a visit."

That was mortally sweet, but her position for the moment prevented her from thinking wisely. All she knew was that she was alone with Echizen Ryoma, who she likes and now considers her as a girlfriend, and Tooyama Kintarou who is fond of her in an eccentric way. Tomo-chan and Momo-chan-senpai always insisted Tooyama Kintarou would've liked her not too innocently, albeit herself thinking otherwise. She always thought he was really friendly with her because she found her cooking superb and that for someone constantly hungry Ryuuzaki Sakuno was like a walking bag of treats.

Awkward was it that she found herself leaning on the counter sandwiched between two tennis freaks she maintained her silence and waited patiently. She could've rode Echizen Ryoma's favorite habit of infuriating silence, but it was another thing if someone as nosey and as talkative as Tooyama Kintarou was leaning on the other side.

"Mou, Sakuno-chan, your hair"

The red-head started poking the bun hair sitting on her head.

"Oh, that. I— wear my hair sometimes like this when I work on the kitchen" she tried to explain as the red-head leaned closer and continued to poke.

"I like it better if you put it down" he suggested, suddenly looking at her straightforwardly.

She had to blush.

He was so close. So close that she could almost feel his steady breath against hers.

Inching a little she felt stupid, blushing easily just like that.

"Ne, Koshimae. Do you think it's better if Sakuno-chan wears her hair down?" the red-head asked, unperturbed by the small contact.

"Too long" the other mumbled, making her less comfortable. Formulating a counter attack as to how she'd like to wear her hair that long she summed her courage and looked at the floor.

"B-But I like it this way" she mumbled.

She heard another giggle before she felt someone tugging her bun loose. In a matter of seconds her hair spilled all over her. Shocked, she turned around and saw Echizen Ryoma tugging a handful of hair, running it between his fingers.

"Chocolates" he muttered under his breath.

"Yeah!" the red-head piped, tearing her gaze away from one Echizen Ryoma as he took a handful and tugged it playfully like marionette strings "Your hair's dark like chocolates"

Spines tingling, she tried to keep calm as the two fondled on her hair. It was the greatest mental effort of her life. She felt hot and breathless and lightheaded as she leaned on the counter in silence. Brooding over the thought of how impossible it would be for those two to sneak out of the camp just for stupid chocolates she broke the silence and asked.

"R-Ryoma-kun, K-Kintarou-kun. I . . . I don't think you're here for chocolates"

They both stopped playing with her hair. Gaining a rather dead awkward attention she cleared her throat and leaned away from the counter to face them.

"I . . . I think there's something wrong with the camp that's why you two sneaked out."

That was so stupid.

The Tennis Prince smirked and looked outside. The red-head on the other hand fell into a fit of giggle.

"If –If there's nothing wrong with camp then why did the two of you sneaked out?" she tried not to sound desperate. Her reasoning was falling out of place.

Idly, the Tennis Prince grabbed his hat away from the red-head and placed it on hers. With a swift grab he dragged her by the hat and suddenly she found herself leaning against him, his breath tickling her left ear.

"It's just chocolates, Sakuno" he whispered.

At the same time she felt hands snaking on her waist. Breathing nervously she found herself entangled by the red-head, hugging her from behind like his usual self.

"Treats, Sakuno-chan!" he piped, but there was no childish whim on his voice anymore. Just . . .

No.

No way.

Not that again!

"I-I think the t-two of y-you need t-to g-go-"

"Mou, that's mean" breathed the red head on her left as the she felt another breath trailing from her right ear down to her neck "You told us we could have some chocolates before we get back. Oh, we can do it while waiting, uryaa!"

Equal smirks.

She was good as dead.

Hyper awareness was the least of the things she knew she could have, but the moment seemed to have lend her the ability. Mentally mapping everything she followed a breath as it trailed from her left ear to her nape, sending inexplicable shivers all over her. Feather-light kisses rained the right side of her neck, down to her collarbone, then up again, catching her off guard as someone claimed her lips and nibbled her lower lip, coaxing her to open her mouth. A hand successfully went under her shirt, leaving a trail of unexplained things on her abdomen which made her gasp, along with kisses sporadically given on her left shoulder. Another set of hands suddenly claimed her hips and a grunt shattered on her mouth. Butterflies went pandemonium on her stomach as nibbles rained her neck.

The mental map shattered as she felt herself spin around. Opening her eyes she found the other boy grinning at her before going for her chest, opening her shirt with nimble fingers. Irked with another layer of clothing he rained her chest with hungry kisses while his free hands worked on the hooks. The other was working on her back, grunting on her right shoulder things like make it fast. The former complained under her eyes before going up and kissing her equally. She squirmed as a knee was wedged between her legs, followed by hands pulling the hem of her skirt. Hands and kisses seemed to be the only things that invaded her thoughts, until a hand did invade that space between her legs and another hand claimed her chest and everything was hot and unbearable and . . .

He rolled his eyes and yawned.

"Mou, Koshimae, we're getting on the juiciest part!" whined the red head as he flipped the page of the manga they were reading. The three of them were sprawled on the floor of the living room, with Sakuno covering her eyes between them.

"Koharu said this would teach us a lot, though I really don't understand what he means" pouted the red-head. The Tennis Prince sighed and looked at him.

"Is this the manga you said you've been following for three years?" the latter asked as he pointed the heathen thing titled Chocolates on the floor.

"Uryaa, of course not. It's Rainbow Maki-chan" he giggled back.

"Baka" he muttered under his breath.

"You act like we never did group reading before" pouted the red head. "Sakuno-chan hates this, though."

She whimpered and finally looked at them, still avoiding the manga teasingly open beneath their eyes.

"A-Anou- Is it o-over?" she asked.

"There are three pages left" answered the red head.

"Is that possible?"

They had to look at each other in dead silence. The Tennis Prince smirked.

"I think its pretty executable" he said. The red head flipped the remaining pages.

"Yeah. I think Koshimae's right"

calculated . . .

. . .awkward

silence . . .

She cleared her throat before announcing she needed to get their chocolates out of the freezer.

"Mou, Sakuno-chan"

"Oi, stay here Ryuuzaki!"


*The manga part started when I stopped using names to tell who is who, just for clarifications.

This fic is moronic, absurd and random and it only goes to show how inexperienced and innocent I am. Pardon me. I felt like I wrote this whole thing from a perspective of someone disinterested, dry and asexual.

Thanks for my biology class for bringing the subject of human anatomy in use and my new found love Kuroko no Basuke for Rainbow Maki-chan XD (is it just me or Kuroko no Basuke's the basketball equivalent of TPOT? Just saying . . . I mean Ryoma-kun and Tetsuya's bloody twins in all aspects)

Blushing in dead air, me and my perversity V(O/O)V

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