faded_lace | Birthday gift!

I really apologize for the lack of porn :< The boys weren't cooperating. But I hope you like it anyway!

Title: Discipline

Disclaimer: Konomi's, not mine

Rating: R

Warnings: BL, Ryoma being a slut, language

Author's note:

britkit27 requested Pillar Pair for her birthday, so here you have it. Happy birthday,

britkit27!

Tezuka Kunimitsu was a very disciplined person.

It was more than obvious from his tennis ability. Child prodigy or not, anyone with half a brain might guess that he practiced daily, and anyone with any sense of tennis would know he practiced more than a little. Anyone who knew Tezuka would willingly explain that not only was he disciplined, he was dedicated, extremely morally elevated, ridiculously filled with perseverance, and had more sheer will power than any of the other members of the Seigaku tennis club combined. He was a machine in his work ethic but a man of deep emotions, even if he hardly showed them; he was complex and yet not at all, once one got to know him. He was mature and upstanding and proud while being humble-- everyone on the tennis circuit knew that.

What wasn't common knowledge, however, was that now, sharing a room at a rather nice American hotel the night before the beginning of the US Open, Tezuka was still coming off the tail end of the longest, worst test of his discipline that he had ever endured. Playing tennis for hours straight, running until his legs felt like rubber-- that was all easy. But keeping his hands off of Echizen Ryoma for four years, despite the burning desire to hold him close and never let him go that Tezuka had been suffering ever since his senior year of middle school... that was an effort, that was a test of will. But Tezuka had done it, Tezuka hadn't even let on that he had any interest whatsoever, because Echizen was only a child, dammit, and Tezuka would not be responsible for corrupting a child, not to mention a member of his own club, and especially not his Echizen.

But then, a little over a month ago, right in the midst of Wimbledon, with Ryoma finally sixteen years of age, Tezuka had given in and done what he had been dying to do for the past four years and simply kissed Echizen. To his utter surprise, Echizen had kissed him right back, and when they had drawn apart, he had meant to say something deep, or at least honest, but Echizen had given him that cocky smirk and said, "I'd been wondering how long you were going to wait," and before Tezuka could respond, he had been kissing him again, and that had been the end--or maybe the beginning-- of that.

And Tezuka was happy-- even if he had lost some time, if Echizen had, indeed, been waiting for him, they were together now, and Tezuka had done the right thing. Taking things slow was the way to go, especially with someone so much younger than he was, and he was planning on continuing to take things slow, because he didn't want to rush Echizen into anything, didn't want to push him.

But then, in a phone call with Oishi, he had found out about Momoshiro. And Fuji, and Kikumaru, and Ibu Shinji, and Mizuki Hajime, and Dan Taichi, and Hiyoshi Wakashi, and Taki Haginosuke, and Yagyuu Hiroshi and Niou Masaharu (at the same time, from what I hear, Oishi had admitted ruefully), and Kirihara Akaya. And Atobe Keigo.

Oishi hadn't wanted to tell him at first. Apparently, he had been forbidden by multiple persons from conveying the list to Tezuka, but then he had accidentally let something slip about Atobe and it had been all downhill from there. Oishi had never been able to keep anything from Tezuka that Tezuka wanted to know, and in the end, Tezuka was given a detailed list of Echizen's past conquests, much to Oishi's obvious discomfort. The worst part was, however, that apparently, this list was generally common knowledge. Everyone had know except for Tezuka.

He didn't know what else to do but to confront Echizen about it. So, when Echizen emerged from the shower and dropped onto the bed beside him, hair and skin all damp and beautiful and making it more than a little difficult for Tezuka to concentrate, Tezuka cut directly to the chase, as he was want to do. "Echizen. I hear you... were seeing Atobe." It sounded so awkward coming from him, and he didn't know quite how to phrase it, either; "slept with" sounded so undignified. He didn't even mention the rest of the list, because he didn't want Echizen to feel overwhelmed, and because, though Tezuka would never admit it, Atobe was really the one name on the list that mattered, in the end.

Echizen raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't ever seeing him, you know. We fucked once. That's all." Tezuka nearly winced at the obscenity; it wasn't that he wasn't used to hearing similar and worse, because he certainly was, but hearing it coming from Echizen and about Atobe... it just make Tezuka want to squirm.

When Tezuka didn't respond, Echizen seemed to deem that he wasn't going to, and continued with a shrug. "I thought everyone knew."

Tezuka couldn't help but ask. "When?"

"After nationals, of course," Echizen replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It was one of the best games I've ever played, and he was hot. You did the same thing, didn't you?"

Echizen gave him a smirk, and Tezuka was more than a little alarmed. He had done everything in his power to keep the knowledge of the one night he had spent with Atobe before he left for Germany an absolute secret; it hadn't as far as he knew, even made it through the tennis circuit rumour mill, which was saying a lot. So how could Echizen have found out?! But, even still...

"Echizen," Tezuka tried very hard not to sound scandalized, to keep his regular calm disposition. "You were twelve."

"Ryoma," Echizen corrected, folding his arms over his chest, "And so what? You were fourteen." He shrugged again, giving Tezuka a bit of a sideward look as he shifted on the bed. "I wanted you, but you weren't making any moves. What was I supposed to do?"

Tezuka wasn't even sure what to say to that, and stared at Echizen, who stared right back, unblinkingly. It was too much to process-- Echizen had been waiting for him to make a move? But... he had been so young... hadn't it been right for Tezuka to wait? But it hadn't even mattered, because Echizen had slept with all those people in the interim... Tezuka didn't even know anymore. "...You wanted me, even then?" he finally managed to trail, feeling rather stupid but not knowing what else to say.

Echizen, however, grinned that wicked grin back up at him. "Still want you now," he clarified before tugging Tezuka down by his shirt into a kiss. And how could Tezuka resist when Echizen so obviously wanted it? So he kissed Echizen back, and he could practically feel Echizen smirking against his lips as he pressed the boy back onto the bed, but for the first time, Tezuka didn't care.

After all, Tezuka may have been a disciplined person, but sometimes, he decided, it was better just to let go.