Disclaimer: I do not own Konomi-sensei's Tennis no Oujisama/Prince of Tennis world or its characters!

A/N I'm writing this because Tenipuri deserves more love and so does the underappreciated Kirihara AkayaxEchizen Ryoma pair. You call it crack/nonexistent? That's your opinion. I like it and think that if some events had played out differently it could have had a real chance to shine. Of course I'm not exactly sure how detailed/explicit I intend to take this …haven't decided yet but I want to clarify things now. This fic will be rated M for the moment. I also am not sure how long this will be…I suppose until I run out of ideas for it…heh. Hope those of you who have tuned into my AkaRyo in the past will find this enjoyable and worth a read as well.

Warnings: AU (but not entirely) Time-skip/Post Canon, OOC-ness,fast-paced, humor language, grammar, viewpoint switching, punctuation, loose-plot, crack-elements, mentions of side and/or past pairings. Please consider yourself warned.

Summary: The invitations have been sent out…everyone is coming to Kirihara Akaya's wedding…the only question on everyone's mind is…who is the lucky bride or…groom?

Trading in Tennis Rackets for Wedding Rings

Part 001 AkaRyo

Kirihara Akaya is getting married. 24 is a good time to settle down or rather it would be more accurate to say that Akaya has decided to get married because he's not sure how much longer his lover will wait around for him.

'I have plenty of suitors lined up so you need to make up your mind and tell me now…do you wanna do this thing or not?'

Words uttered by Echizen Ryoma only a few short months ago.

And while it was certainly not the most romantic of proposals Akaya had ever received-well actually it's the only proposal he's ever received-and so he'll take what he can get. And he is definitely getting the best. Getting hitched to the original prince of tennis himself. The same arrogant rookie who blew into Japan like a tsunami with only a tennis racket, a baseball cap, a cocky attitude and a life time supply of Ponta at his disposal-leaving Akaya speechless and positively smitten.

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Okay in all fairness that's not quite how things played out…but Akaya likes to tell his colleagues, family and any who is willing to listen that meeting Echizen Ryoma was a bit like destiny.

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"I was a brat. He was a brat. I thought I knew everything. He thought he knew everything. We both held little to no respect for our upper classmen but had warm fuzzy (not-so-secret) crushes on our captains. And above all else Ryoma (at the time he was just "Echizen") hated to lose. I hated to lose. Our first match was unofficial…for the longest time I denied it because my pride just wouldn't let me state otherwise but Ryoma had beat me fair and square not that he escaped unscathed mind you…in truth if Sanada-fukubuchou hadn't shown up when he had I'm pretty sure I probably woulda sent my lil' prince to the hospital. But I rather not think about the days of my bad temper and focus on happier or at least more cordial moments between us."

The man in the gray lab coat nods in affirmation and Akaya takes it as his cue to continue

"You'll come to my wedding won't ya doc?"

"Mm hmm."

The Novocain is only just starting to kick in but it hardly matters to Akaya, "Good. Great. Yeah so anyway our first official real breakthrough all started when were away at a training camp…there was this girl…annoying little twit really who wouldn't stop pestering me…fact I think she was obsessed with me but anyway that's neither here nor there….an incident happened…"I fell down the stairs" and since I wasn't exactly the most likable guy everyone figured I probably deserved it…but not Ryo…he was the one who set things right…he was only one who willingly approached and challenged me to a match…around the same time back at school time this annoying loud mouthed blond foreigner showed up. I gotta tell ya doc I don't really get why Americans are so damn rude or why they can't pronounce words properly but that's hardly the point..."

()()

Ryoma certainly has no objections to Akaya's spin on their history together (at least not to Akaya's knowledge anyway) –so long Akaya never forgets whose the better tennis player…so long as he doesn't get in the way of Ryoma's winning streak the prince will let Rikkai's former devil ace say anything he wants-well almost. When it comes to personal private matters like who takes the reins in the bedroom Ryoma he is tightlipped and expects Akaya to remain tightlipped as well.

But of course anyway whose anyone already knows who runs the show behind closed doors. Akaya is not the one to bend over –well baring that one time many many many years ago during the U-17 camp training camp when a certain bible genius cornered him in the equipment room after lights out but that is for Akaya's little black diary of top secrets to take to the grave. A diary that is hidden in a safe that no one (not even the Data Dweeb Trio Inui, Yanagi and Mizuki) can crack and decode.

Even if Akaya became careless one day or his luck ran out and Ryoma discovered his deep dark secret he wouldn't bother denying it because in the end Shiraishi had done them both a favor. Great deal of many perks had come out of having once hooked up with the perfectionist-the magical tricks of that bandaged hand-yeah Akaya didn't regret it one bit.

Thanks to Shiraishi, Akaya is an absolute demon in sack and few can measure up to his mad skills. Of course this isn't the only reason Ryoma picked him…it isn't the only reason the prince stays with Akaya…if it were just about sexual prowess he'd have chosen Atobe-san instead.

Akaya snarls viciously at the thought. He doesn't hate Atobe-san. How could he possibly hate a talented, charming, intelligent, filthy rich guy like Atobe-san? He just doesn't trust Atobe-san is all.

Does Akaya have a reason to think such thoughts? To feel jealous? And yes sometimes even insecure? Sure he does because (as much as his darling Ryo dares to deny it) there has always been a certain something between the two royals of the tennis court. Behind the taunting and the nicknames there is something deeper.

Why neither Ryoma nor Atobe-san have chosen to act on their attraction towards one another? Well in all honesty Akaya isn't entirely convinced that nothing hasn't happened. He doesn't know much about expensive colognes or fancy wine but he does know what everyone else knows Atobe-san is a wealthy bastard and the heir of the Atobe Corp can buy anything he wants including a night with Ryoma.

Many times his lover has disappeared for days…sometimes weeks and while he does have a very busy schedule what with being a professional tennis player and all Akaya is quite sure Ryoma has never cared about things like plush robes or European Literature before but well… time does change a person-he himself has changed a lot since his "demon-days"…so maybe Ryo wasn't cheating on him?

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Still one would think…many would think/call Akaya a damn fool for wanting to marry a person who might not even be loyal to him? If he had so many doubts why go through with it?

Perhaps Akaya is a fool and maybe he'll live to regret his decision or maybe Ryoma won't even bother showing up at the wedding alter and maybe the world will stop spinning? Life was full of what ifs and maybe's but Akaya hardly cares about that. All he knows is he loves Ryoma and if any one is worth taking a chance on then it's the prince.

Nothing will stop Akaya from setting a date, contacting a wedding planner, seeking the best advice from his older sister or grinning like a damn idiot as he waltzes into a fancy little European Bakery on Tuesday afternoon after work.

"I don't care about the cost…I need you to create the best wedding cake this world has ever seen."

()()

The wedding is only 2 and a half weeks away and Akaya (at the suggestion/demand) of his sister is hand writing the invitations. His fiancé, Ryoma is soaking in the king size bubble bath over in the next room or at least Akaya thought the younger man was in the bubble bath, hearing the familiar sound of feet pattering across the floor and then feeling wet fingertips at the nape of his neck speak otherwise.

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TBC