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Learning to Land	By : Suteishichic Category: Prince of Tennis/Tennis no Ohjisama > General Views: 11446 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis (Tennis no Ohjisama), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 107
- 108
- 109
Learning to Land by Suteishichic.
Chapter One Hundred Seven ~ Tachibana
Warnings: Yaoi, Love, Angst,
Fluff, and Lots of Sex. Some kink. You've been warned ;)
Disclaimer:
Nope not mine. Still in my dreams.
;)
------------------------------------

He stood and closed the curtains. "I'll be back soon,"
he promised and closed the door to Ibu's cold, dark room.

Tachibana's first move was to find the laundry room. There didn't
seem to be one. He went back to the kitchen to look there because
most people usually had at least a washing machine and sometimes they
had one there. Tachibana didn't see one. He was annoyed with the
lights being out and decided to fix that right away. Using a tiny
flashlight he had on his key chain, after a bit of hunting he located
the circuit breaker. Nearly everything including the heat, water
heater, and water pump was switched off. Ibu must take freezing cold
baths and showers though he couldn't imagine how the freshman was
surviving that.

The breakers all were clearly marked in Ibu's neat handwriting.
Tachibana switched on the kitchen, the one that said Ibu's bedroom,
the water heater, water pump, and refrigerator. He then switched on
the one for the heat and after a little more searching located a
thermostat down the hall. He left the thermostat off for now because
for all he knew the electric might not even be turned on.

He was looking for a light switch but the first one he found was
in the kitchen. He tried to test it. Tachibana snapped on the light
and felt very thankful when it worked. Now that he had power, he
filled one side of the sink with cold water. The old pipes made
protesting noises as he ran water through them and he had to let the
water run several minutes until it looked clean enough. Using dish
soap because it was all he could find, Tachibana started soaking
Ibu's bloody school clothes in a large pot he found under the sink.
That finished, he dumped out the stale water that was sitting in the
now working refrigerator, and washed out the pot. He turned the
freezer up to a warm temperature so it wouldn't run since he didn't
think they would need it. Before he left Tachibana peeked in on Ibu
and then safely locked the freshman inside with his key. He set out
to find a nearby store.

He remembered a decent small local shop just down the alley street
and up around the next corner. Along the way he called his
great-grandmother to fill her in on some of the details. He told her
his school friend was sick with a cold and needed looking after. He
told his great-grandmother she or Tachibana's parents could call him
on his cell phone if they had any questions, but he was going to
spend the night with his friend because his parents were busy with
work. She seemed to understand and even offered to come help him if
he needed it. He thanked her and said he didn't.

That task finished Tachibana hung up the phone. He picked up a
basket on his way inside the store and quickly filled it up. He liked
to cook. He already decided on making a few things thing that Yasuo
always loved when he made them for him.

Ibu loved pickles. You couldn't help but notice how much he adored
them. Kamio always ordered extra pickles for Ibu whenever the
freshmen bought something to eat, and all the other freshmen always
gave him theirs too. Kamio often joked Ibu would gorge himself on
pickles if he could.

With that in mind Tachibana bought pickles, seasonings, meat,
rice, mushrooms, and vegetables. He wanted to make Ibu a good lunch
and a good dinner. Nothing too heavy in case he hadn't been eating
much lately, but hearty food that would help Ibu recover faster.
Tachibana picked up a few boxes of tea in both green and black. He
even grabbed some better ramen from the refrigerator case in case Ibu
loved it. Tachibana tried to be prudent with his purchases. He tended
to be very frugal with his money because he knew how hard his family
worked to earn it. Still, he kept thinking of Ibu's cupboards all
being bare and probably bought more than he needed to. He reassured
himself that at least it wouldn't go to waste.

Luckily, the food at the corner store was of excellent quality and
pretty inexpensive. He was used to the pricey stores from around his
former school where everything was jacked up way too high for the
wealthy students. Now that he thought about it, this was the first
time Tachibana had been to the grocery store since he left school.
His mom never made him go with his family. Sometimes he missed
cooking, but he always felt it wouldn't be the same making a meal
without Yasuo there to enjoy it. It was strange, he knew, but for
some reason his family and sister eating what he made just was not
the same.

After he paid and was on his way back to Ibu's struggling to carry
everything he bought, Tachibana had another urge to call Yasuo. If he
had a free hand he would have. He knew around what time it was and
that Yasuo would be in his second or third class. Tachibana wondered
how the weather was there today and how the morning practice had
gone. It had been a while since he talked to Yasuo, and he wanted to
a lot, but what was odd, he only thought about calling when it wasn't
a good time to actually call. Tachibana with the freshmen had been so
busy lately that he only thought about Yasuo when he was alone which
means right in the morning or before bed. He didn't want to wake
Yasuo. Sometimes Tachibana thought about Yasuo during class and
wanted to call, but he couldn't call then. The last few letters Yasuo
sent he hadn't answered yet. Hell, he had been so busy Tachibana
hadn't even read them, but once again he told himself he should when
he got home.

That decided for the hundredth time, he let himself into Ibu's
house as quietly as possible. Despite his being in great shape,
Tachibana was breathing harder from carrying all the heavy groceries
and the fast pace he had taken to get back. He guessed he should work
out a little harder. Watching the guys and occasionally running with
them wasn't enough. Although, whenever he bought this much in the
past Yasuo was with him and he didn't have to carry it all home
alone.

He set everything down and checked on Ibu. He opened the door
quietly and though he couldn't see well, the blanket Ibu was under
wasn't moving so Tachibana guessed he was still asleep. Which was
good. Ibu needed to rest and Tachibana could wake him when the food
was ready.

It had been a long while since he made anything more than tea and
he found he was looking forward to it. With Tachibana's sister,
mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all living in one house
the kitchen was usually a loud place where the women in his family
gathered. He picked up enough pointers as a little boy to be
interested in cooking. When he was on his own at school, he learned
the rest through a lot of trial and error. Because he felt as if he
had basically grown up at a school dorm, one pot and hot plate meals
were his specialty. His great-grandmother was Chinese and she was an
amazing cook. She taught him to appreciate different spices and
combinations of food than many of his wealthy school friends were not
used to. Every ingredient she used though was picked thinking of the
people she cared about. She was an amateur herbalist and loved to
explain what each thing did to heal and bring the person into
balance. She was very focused on balance and it was a philosophy
Tachibana tried to adopt in his own life and diet.

His grandmother on the other hand only really enjoyed Japanese
foods and her husband, Tachibana's grandfather who died when he was
little was reported to be something of a gourmet. His grandfather had
expensive tastes on a shoestring budget so his grandmother became an
expert in how to make things stretch and in substituting cheaper
ingredients. She was so good at it the substitutes often ended up
tasting better than the expensive harder to find real things. It
wasn't until Tachibana went away to school that he learned what the
original expensive items were—and how skilled his grandmother
was as a cook.

His mother never really had the chance to be good at cooking. She
often was stuck trying to appease all her older relatives so his
mom's skill was more in the way of negotiating each meal so everyone
was happy rather than actually doing any of the cooking. Sadly, for
as much time as his younger sister spent with the other women in the
kitchen, An has absolutely no interest in it. In fact, An usually
jokes that she wants to marry someone wealthy so she never has to
cook.

Tachibana turned on the kitchen light again pleased it worked.
Along with the groceries he picked up strong bleach and laundry soap.
He first bleached out Ibu's shirt which seemed to get out a lot more
of the blood. It might not be able to be worn again though. The shirt
seemed well used and he wondered if the freshmen also handed down
clothes to each other. It would make sense if they did. He hoped Ibu
had more than one shirt since he was apparently so strapped for cash
when an idea hit Tachibana.

A good idea. Tachibana's parents were always asking if there was
anything they could do to help him, and they seem so disappointed
whenever he said nothing, thank you. They would be happy to do this
and he bet himself that it wouldn't cost very much. It might even be
good for their business. He knew the company they worked for
sometimes made knockoffs, but nice ones. Originals with a high
quality at half the expensive price would be sure to sell. The idea
further bloomed in his mind and once he started thinking of how to do
it, more and more ideas fell into place. It was a crazy idea, but it
made many other crazy ideas come to him.

He always thought well when he cooked. He started chopping
ingredients and was amazed at how much clearer he thought when his
hands were busy. This only happened when he was playing tennis or
cooking. He was completely free to let go and think.

The whole scheme when he thought it out really wasn't such a crazy
one. With what these freshmen had in raw talent and burning desire
combined with his skill and the connections Tachibana had it wouldn't
be that expensive or outrageous. He might even be able to get some
used older equipment that otherwise would just be thrown away if he
asked some of his old teachers and coaches who still wanted him back.
They would gladly give him these things to get in Tachibana's good
graces—never knowing that they were in reality only doing a
good deed.

It might work.

It seriously might work.

And no, it would not be easy. In fact, he was looking down the
barrel at a ton of work and dedication but they could do it.
Together. It would be everything the freshmen wanted, and then some
because Tachibana suddenly realized deep down in his heart this could
be his retribution. This was his chance to really start over
and make amends. His helping these freshmen was perhaps the best
karmic way to clear his own debt for all the horrible things he had
done. It would be building something very positive from something
very negative, and helping people who truly needed and deserved to be
helped in the process.

It might work. He just had to think of a way to convince the
freshmen to stop trying to become part of Fudomine's current team—and
create one of their own. From scratch.

It was outrageous. It was unheard of.

There was no reason in the world why a school, and such a poor one
at that, would allow two of the same clubs. They would argue that
they didn't have the resources, so Tachibana had to make sure he and
the freshmen had their own. The school would argue that there was
already a club, so there had to be a reason they couldn't join the
existing team. A good, clear reason. One that even the administrators
could see. Tachibana didn't have an answer to that yet, but felt
certain that this was destiny and his purpose in coming home.
There was a reason for everything if you just looked hard enough and
if you worked hard enough, things would come together. He was sure of
it. He believed that some things were meant to be, especially if you
wanted them and worked for them. Tachibana was certain when the time
was right, everything would fall into place.

He felt elated. He felt relieved. He felt as if he could do the
impossible.

He just finished making the soup and turned it down on a lower
flame to keep warm when Ibu appeared looking half-awake. He stood at
the doorway. He looked alarmed and immediately moved to turn off the
light. Tachibana was closer and beat him there, "You're worried
about the cost? I'll help you pay for it. You need electricity for
living and studying. It is not a luxury, but a necessity. Ibu, you
can't live like this. You've done very well on your own, and I admire
you for sticking it out this long, but it's time you realize that you
do need help. Let me help you. Please?"

Tachibana placed his hand on Ibu's shoulder. The slender boy was
always wearing baggy clothes so up until now he hadn't realized how
skin and bones skinny Ibu was. Recalling how he looked when they
first met, Tachibana knew without a doubt Ibu wasn't eating enough.
He was losing weight and not the good kind. He was losing muscle.

Ibu said nothing. His head was down and he seemed to be
embarrassed. The pajamas he wore were too large for him. They were
probably once one of the other freshmen's or his father's. They were
also probably once a brighter blue. Now they were gray and drab and
like a costume just didn't fit the strong, beautiful person wearing
them at all. As Tachibana watched two dark spots appeared on the
front of Ibu's shirt. As if something was dripping or leaking.
Tachibana almost looked up to see if the roof was leaking on this
little old home, but then he realized what it was. Ibu was crying.
Silently.

Before he could say anything or react, Ibu gripped him fiercely in
a hug and buried his face in the center of Tachibana's chest.

Tachibana was always uncomfortable when anyone cried. He just
really never knew quite what to do. When his sister cried when she
was little it was usually a loud temper-tantrum type of affair that
was mortifying. When Fuji cried Tachibana felt totally shocked and
stunned because he had never been that open with anyone before. Lucky
for him, Yasuo had known what to do the very few times
Tachibana ever cried.

Not sure what else to do, Tachibana mimicked what Yasuo did for
him. He rubbed the freshman's back and held him strong and close. He
didn't say anything but let Ibu keep silently crying. His entire body
shook with what must have been racking sobs, but he made no sound.
When the freshman seemed to be finished, softly Tachibana said,
"Everything is going to be all right. I'm going to help you.
You've just had a bad day. Are you hungry?"

Against his chest Ibu nodded slightly.

"Good," Tachibana said. "I'm starving. Have a seat.
I hope you like hot and sour..." Ibu was looking at him alarmed.
He let go and gestured that Tachibana should sit. "No, sorry.
You're injured. You don't get to play host. Listen to your senpai.
Sit down. I set the table already and was just coming to get you to
eat."

Ibu hesitated a moment, deeply bowed, and then did as he was told.
As he sat, under the dim yellow kitchen light, Tachibana noticed that
a bruise was forming on Ibu's right cheek, and another by his left
eye. The freshman looked up at him, and he saw on Ibu's thin,
delicate throat, bruises were starting to form there too. Bruises
that looked a horribly lot like finger marks. Tachibana tried to not
stare at them. He wanted Ibu to eat. If he made a big deal about the
injuries, Ibu might cry again and it was impossible to cry and eat at
the same time.

As he served up the soup he had made, Tachibana resisted the
stupid urge he suddenly had to kiss each ugly bruise on the freshman.
He couldn't kiss it better and the last thing poor Ibu needed was his
senpai suddenly acting gay and doing gay things to him when he was so
down. The best thing to do, the junior reasoned to himself, was to
make Ibu comfortable and pretend like things were fine. Ibu needed
some normalcy in his life.

Tachibana sat and gestured for Ibu to take the first bite.

The freshman hesitated and took a first tentative taste. He looked
at Tachibana amazed, and then inquisitively.

"I'm glad you like it. I learned to cook while I was away at
my old school. My roommate always enjoyed this dish and I know you
like pickles so I hoped you would like it too." Ibu ate while
Tachibana talked so he went on filling in the empty cold house with
the sound of his voice, "I miss cooking actually. I rather enjoy
it. With my mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother always taking
over the kitchen, I don't get a chance to cook anymore." The tea
kettle whistled and Tachibana jumped up to reach it before Ibu had a
chance to move. He poured them both a cup and sat back down. "Here.
I hope you like oolong. I was in the mood for it. It goes well with
this soup, although my family never serves it at home with a meal,
but I got used to it because Yasuo, my roommate at school, he always
enjoys a beverage with his meals. He didn't like oolong at first, but
the last time we spoke, he said he missed it and bought some."

Ibu looked at him inquisitively and then went back to eating.

"Oh. My family rarely serves water, tea, or other beverages
with a meal. My great-grandmother is Chinese,. She and my
great-grandfather had an arranged marriage. When they met and married
she didn't speak any Japanese and he only knew a very little Chinese.
Somehow, it worked though, and she says he was the love of her life.
Even though he brought her here and although he was Japanese, she
ended up keeping the Chinese style of cooking and meals. My
grandmother, her daughter doesn't like it. She tends to only enjoy
Japanese foods. She was made fun of as a child for being half-Chinese
and tends to be overly Japanese most of the time. Although this one
thing my family does is very Chinese. Each meal there is usually a
soup served instead of a beverage as a common dish and everyone
drinks from it. I suppose I adapted to both and don't mind either.
It's nice to keep traditions."

Ibu nodded looking pensive.

Tachibana noticed the freshman's bowl was empty. "I'm glad
you like it. May I get you more?" Ibu seemed to hesitate, so
Tachibana stood to fill it before he resisted. The freshman needed to
eat something nutritious. "I made plenty of extra and it will
keep for several days. I also restocked your pantry. Even though you
might enjoy it, you really shouldn't live on ramen..."

Ibu shuddered as if even the name made him disgusted.

"You don't like ramen?" The blue-black head shook
strongly back and forth saying no, but stayed down and eating as if
he was embarrassed. Tachibana had a thought, "You've been eating
it because it was cheap?" A bob of his head indicated yes. "Why?
Why haven't your friends helped you? Are they not able to?
Financially, I mean?"

Ibu shook his head no, and then raised his hands, palms up as he
did when he had too long an answer to give with a yes or a no. This
was not good enough for the junior so he got up, went to his
schoolbag and took out a notebook. He returned to the kitchen with it
and a pen for Ibu to write his answer down. Tachibana was thinking to
himself it had better be a damn good reason why the other freshman
didn't help their friend when he saw what Ibu wrote.

It was one word.

PLEASE

Tachibana was lost. "Please what? Please help you? Or please
have your friends help you? Please...?" He just noticed that
Ibu's head was down. The freshman was staring at the floor. "Ibu,
please look at me when I'm talking to you. It's hard enough without
you saying anything. That's the least you can do to make it easier
for me. Ibu help me to understand. I'm just trying to help you here,
and..."

Ibu looked at him. His face was crimson red in a blush. He looked
away.

Tachibana suddenly understood. He also remembered something Kamio
said. That the freshmen usually spent the weekends at Ibu's house
with him. "They don't know, do they? They come over here every
weekend and things seem normal then, but during the week you've been
living like this." Respectfully Ibu put his head down, and his
hands in a supplicating manner. He was asking, begging, please.
Please don't tell them. But why? "Why? Are you embarrassed?
Because they're your friends. They would want to know."

Ibu picked up the pen and started writing.

Please! Please do not tell them! They can't know. I do not want
to burden

Tachibana covered Ibu's hand with his own which stopped his
scrawling. He loved how Ibu wrote in such a precise and yet flowing
manner even when agitated. The freshman always weighed each word and
knew where he was going with everything before he started writing. It
was much the same way as when Ibu played tennis. Tachibana wondered
what his voice sounded like for the hundredth time and said, "It
would be more of a burden for them to discover that you're in trouble
and that they didn't know. Ibu, you've done well on your own, but not
good enough. This is unacceptable. Living like this is stupid and
dangerous. I won't let you put your health at risk anymore. As your
senpai, I have a responsibility towards you, and as your friend, I
can't look the other way and pretend that I didn't see this."

For the next several minutes Ibu tried to bargain with Tachibana.
He wrote asking for more time, and alluded that his father might come
home soon. He asked if he could be the one to tell his friends. Ibu
was crafty and tried everything he could think of, but Tachibana
wouldn't budge, not even when Ibu seemed to get angry. He accused
Tachibana of not being his friend, and seemed close to tears.

Tachibana put his hand back over Ibu's to stop the writing, "I
am your friend and you know that I am by now. I think you're tired
and have had a difficult day or you wouldn't be questioning me.
Things need to change around here, and I don't just mean with you,
but with all you guys. Will you hear my idea out and tell me if it
seems sound to you?" At first he thought Ibu would resist, but
then it seemed his curiosity got the better of him. He looked at
Tachibana questioningly. Tachibana smiled, "Because you alone
can point out any flaws before I suggest it to everyone else. I
wouldn't want to get the other's hopes up if my plan needs major
revising, and I feel that you're the best person to run it past
first."

Ibu pointed with his other hand towards his chest. He seemed to be
asking "me?" and was looking rather astonished that
Tachibana wanted to ask him.

Tachibana smiled. They were sitting quite close and he still had
his hand over Ibu's. "Yeah." He suddenly felt shy and his
heart started racing. "I think you're pretty smart...when you
use your brain to think instead of being stupid."

Ibu made a little exhaled breath noise. It was his almost silent
version of a sudden laugh. The freshman put his head down, and then
surprised Tachibana by moving the top of his head so it was touching
Tachibana's collarbone above his heart.

Tachibana had seen this gesture between the freshmen before. If
one of them lost or was scolded or they fought, eventually one of
them approached the other and did this. Tachibana had seen Kamio do
this to Ibu a hundred times. He had seen Mori to Uchimura do this
even more than that after an argument or debate. Tachibana didn't
know what this gesture meant, but none of them had ever done it to
him before. It felt natural to move the fingers of his free hand up
through Ibu's soft, silky blue-black hair. Tachibana had his fingers
there before he realized what he was doing. Ibu's hair smelled of
citrus. Lemons and oranges and spice.

It was only then that Tachibana realized what he was doing. He was
running his fingers through Ibu's hair, and he was cradling Ibu's
head. He was smelling Ibu's hair! As if Ibu was a girl!

He froze and waited for Ibu to react and pull away in disgust. He
waited for Ibu to respond at all. Tachibana figured he just had
stunned Ibu so bad that the freshman was locked in place and afraid
to move. Ibu was just too polite, right?

On the table, Ibu's hand under his that had been holding the pen
dropped it. Tachibana thought the pen dropping was the only show of
shock Ibu would probably give him. He wasn't able to talk so maybe
that was all he could do. And then he felt it.

Ibu's hand started softly feeling his in an exploring way. Ibu
felt his callouses and his fingers before tentatively and slowly
closing his hand around Tachibana's.

To Tachibana's shock, Ibu was now holding his hand!

Tachibana's mind was racing almost as fast as his heart was
pounding. He was trying to think of something, anything,
clever to say because he had a feeling that Ibu might kiss him. That
wasn't the biggest problem though. The biggest problem was if Ibu
kissed him, even if he tried to resist, Tachibana knew without a
doubt he would kiss Ibu back. He had to stop. Just thinking about it
and being this close to the freshman had him hard. He had to stop and
think. He had to stop and think of all the problems and complications
a kiss like this at a time like this would bring to his life.
Irrationally, he wished Yasuo was here because at least Yasuo would
be able to tell Tachibana what the heck to do at a time like this.
Yasuo would know. He always did.

But what would Yasuo say now? Tachibana didn't know. He couldn't
think of Yasuo right now. He felt like he shouldn't. For a second he
wished Ibu was Yasuo and decided that was a bad idea because
if this was Yasuo they would be kissing by now.

More than kissing. It would start off hot, sweet, and after all
this time it would get so passionate they might not even make it to
that mattress on the floor. Damn it. It had been a long time since he
had touched anyone. Since he had touched Yasuo.

Hell, for all he knew maybe Ibu wasn't gay. Maybe he and the other
freshman were just friendly and just friends and Tachibana just
didn't know how to handle being friends with anyone. Maybe Ibu was
freaked out that Tachibana was gay. If he was gay. He still wasn't
completely sure. It could also be that Tachibana was just a terrible
friend. Hell, he'd only had one real friend before and he and Yasuo
ended up being way beyond just friends. Hell, he still didn't even
know what he and Yasuo are or were, but he knew regular friends like
these freshmen did not do what he and Yasuo did.

Tachibana thought maybe he could find some way to distract Ibu,
but he couldn't distract himself of the soft feel of the freshman's
warm breath on his skin through his uniform shirt. Tachibana couldn't
breathe in Ibu's scent anymore. He couldn't think straight. Tachibana
was just about to suggest that he tell Ibu about his plan, when Ibu's
cell phone rang. The sound made them both jump away from each other
like they were doing something very wrong and Tachibana was sure it
startled years off of his life. In a smooth movement, Ibu reached for
his cell phone and handed it to Tachibana.

Before he could stammer a greeting, Tachibana heard loudly, "Hey!
What are you guys doin? Where's Shinji? What's goin on? Is something
goin on? Is Shinji all right? What happened?" It was Kamio and
he sounded...upset.

"I..." Tachibana stammered and then looked at Ibu who
was rolling his eyes and smiling. "Shinji said he's fine. We
were just finishing lunch. You're not supposed to be using your phone
in school." Tachibana glanced at the clock, "You're
supposed to be in class..."

Kamio sounded mad but his anger seemed to be fading, "Yeah
well...all of a sudden I had a bad feelin and just wanted to make
sure nothin bad happened. I'm in the washroom in one of the stalls so
no one can see me. Shinji's really okay?"

"He is, but there are things we all need to talk about
later." Tachibana glanced over at Ibu who suddenly seemed to
find something interesting on the floor. Ibu went to stand and take
their dishes to the sink. "Ibu, don't get up. I'll do that.
You're injured. You need to rest."

"Tachibana-san, please? Can I talk to Shinji? I'll tell him
to listen to you." Kamio sounded desperate to talk to him. The
words themselves were calm, but the frantic way Kamio was saying them
had Tachibana on high alert. In fact, for the first time he wondered
if somehow Kamio wasn't envious of him spending time with Ibu. Or
maybe something else. Kamio seemed jealous, almost like Ibu was
his...boyfriend?

Tachibana quickly dismissed the thought. No way was any of that
going on. Ibu wouldn't say anything so it wasn't like Kamio was
missing the sound of Ibu's voice. He must have had something to tell
Ibu...badly. Tachibana shrugged and said into the phone, "Of
course you can speak to him. Please tell him that he needs to rest.
I'll stay with him today and will not be attending practice. As Ibu
was too injured to go to school, he shouldn't go to practice, and
actually, Kamio, have someone walk you home after school too. I want
you to rest also just for today. Can you ask Ishida to run practice
without us there?"

Sounding hopeful, Kamio suggested, "Yeah, okay. And then I
can stop by after school to bring Ibu his homework...?"

"No. I'd rather you go straight home and rest. I know the
hospital said you're fine, but at my last school we learned to take
it easy the day of any injury. Even a minor one can turn into a major
problem if you don't take care of yourself. Rest is important. Go
home Kamio, " Tachibana said, "but be sure someone is with
you. I don't want you walking around alone after what happened today.
Have someone else drop off Ibu's homework, and my own if you get a
chance to collect it. All right?"

"But...but...Shinji shouldn't be alone after what happened. I
should stay over with him tonight." Kamio sounded very put out.
Like a little boy not getting his way when he was accustomed to
everyone giving into his whims.

Although the freshman did have a point. "I'll stay with..."
Tachibana almost said Shinji by mistake, but caught himself just in
time, "Ibu tonight, okay? Don't worry. He's fine. And he'll see
you tomorrow. Here, I'll let you talk to him. Hurry though and return
to class. I don't want you to be alone and I don't want you to get in
trouble."

"Okay." Kamio sounded meek and defeated. And then he
sounded as if he was begging, "Tachibana-san? Please be sure to
take really good care of Shinji for me? And let me or someone else
know if he needs anything? Please? And thank you very much for all
your help."

"It's no problem. He's my friend too. Here's Shinji."
Tachibana handed the phone over and Shinji took it. He stood and
silently walked down the hall with it.

Tachibana washed the dishes while he strained to hear if Ibu made
any sounds at all to Kamio, but he heard nothing. Around three
minutes later, Shinji returned and deeply bowed a thank you. He set
his phone in a charger on one of the counters and then sat to finish
his tea.

"Would you like more tea or soup?" Tachibana got a head
shake no. "I'm sorry, I think Kamio would have gone to practice
and then ran over here if I didn't stop him. After what you both went
through this morning he needs to rest. Do you agree?"

Ibu shrugged and seemed to think it over, and then he nodded. He
looked around the room as if thinking or something. The freshman must
have noticed his air drying shirt which Tachibana had washed and hung
up to dry. Ibu pointed at it with an inquiring look.

"I'm sorry. I was able to get most of the stain out from the
shirt but not all. The rest will be dry by the morning. Do you have
another shirt to wear tomorrow? I can lend you one of mine from home
if you don't."

Ibu nodded indicating he did have another one.

"Good." Tachibana suggested, "Want to go to your
room? You can help me with the details of my plan."

Ibu nodded again, but instead of going down the hallway to his
room they remained sitting next to each other. Tachibana had a
million questions. He wished he could ask Ibu what happened and get a
reply in words. He wanted to ask Ibu a lot of things about the
freshmen and even if it wasn't verbal was sure he would get some kind
of answer. The trouble was, he just didn't know where to start. He
also thought to himself like with Fuji, sometimes asking a person
about their troubles was really opening a horrible potential "can
of worms" as Yasuo used to say. Yasuo said it was an old fishing
expression when Tachibana asked him and Tachibana always silently
wondered to himself if worms were ever sold in cans.

Just then Tachibana realized while talking to Kamio he made a
decision for the freshmen without checking with them. He already did
things like that several times that morning and should try to not be
so overbearing. Yasuo used to remind him constantly to ask people
things instead of running over them with what he said was the
Tachibana style of a bullet train. "Ibu, do you mind if I stay
over? Someone should stay with you tonight to make sure you're all
right. If you would rather it be someone else...?"

Ibu shook his head to say he didn't mind.

For some reason, Tachibana felt relieved even though he knew where
he would be sleeping. On the worn floor in not very luxurious
conditions. But even at home in his own bed, he still felt like a
stranger. Tachibana really hadn't slept well since the last night he
slept next to Yasuo. "Okay, I'll call my parents later when
they're home and tell them. By the way, I made something really good
for dinner which I think if you liked my soup you'll love this."

Ibu raised his eyebrows in surprise. He lifted one hand as if
holding a spoon to his mouth and his other to rub his stomach as if
he wanted more of it.

"More soup?" Tachibana asked with a laugh. "You can
have more later if you want, but no, I made something else." He
saw Ibu's inquisitive look. "Se-cr-et. You'll know in a little
while. First, you're going to lay down. You're supposed to be
resting. We can talk while you rest. Let me tell you about my plan
and you can tell me what you think."

They went back down the hallway to Ibu's room and Tachibana didn't
miss that as they left the room, Ibu's hand snaked around to turn the
kitchen light off.

Tachibana meant to tell Ibu. He had every intention of just
sitting and talking with the freshman while he lay down resting. He
clicked on the light and waited for Ibu to get settled. Ibu lay down
under the Frankenstein blanket and patted the bed next to him
indicating Tachibana should sit beside him. After what almost
happened, Tachibana didn't think that was such a good idea but it
would look weird if he refused, wouldn't it?

He sat on the edge of the huge mattress far from Ibu and tried to
explain, "I'm in my school clothes. I shouldn't get them
wrinkled or...what?" Ibu was pointing to a corner of his room
covered by an old worn sheet. Tachibana stood not sure what Ibu was
asking for. When he moved the sheet back it was a closet neatly
arranged and like everything else in the room completely organized
but made of mismatched furniture and shelving units all made into
one. Where Ibu seemed to be pointing there were pillows and blankets.
"You want an extra blanket?" He got a head shake no and a
smile. Ibu pointed more insistently and now it looked like he was
pointing to the left of the pillows and blankets. A pile of pajamas.
"You want new pajamas?" Tachibana turned to look back at
the freshman when Ibu made that exhaled noise of a laugh. "What?
Oh. For me to put on? Now?"

Ibu applauded and Tachibana had to laugh at that even though he
was thinking to himself it was early. They just finished lunch but
then again who walked around in their school uniform when they
weren't in school? It would be weird to insist on staying in his
clothes and it wasn't like he would be more comfortable later on
sleeping in his workout tennis clothes. Tachibana couldn't imagine
sleeping in his jock. Truth be told though, Tachibana had to admit
after the hand holding and all he felt a little uncomfortable getting
undressed in front of Ibu. He selected a t-shirt and pants from the
top of the neatly folded stack but hesitated. If he went to another
room to change that would be strange. He didn't know what to do so to
buy time he decided to ask, "Is this what the other freshmen
wear when they sleep over here on the weekends?"

Ibu looked at him as if curious about the question and after a
moment nodded. The freshman went to stand up as if he thought
Tachibana might need help selecting something to wear.

"No, you don't have to get up. I guess if these are okay,
I'll put these on?" Ibu nodded and then turned as if arranging
the pillows on his big mattress. Maybe he was uncomfortable too or
maybe he was just being polite. Tachibana quickly undressed and
dressed noticing that the clothes smelled of sunshine. They must have
been line dried although they were nice and soft. He found a hanger
and hung his uniform up in case he didn't stop by his house in the
morning to get a fresh one. It wasn't as if he had worn this one very
long. Clothes changed he sat back down on Ibu's mattress keeping his
feet firmly on the floor, "Thanks Ibu. This is much more
comfortable. So, what I wanted to talk to you about is...what?"

Ibu was patting the mattress next to him. Tachibana moved slightly
closer but all he got was a smile and more patting. Fine if Ibu
didn't mind him sitting next to...

When Tachibana went to sit down, Ibu put his hand up to stop him.
Tachibana asked, "What?" Ibu pointed at the light switch.
"Lights off? Oh, well you are supposed to be resting."
Tachibana stood and turned it off. He sat back down and followed the
patting noise until he was sitting next to Ibu. The freshman sighed,
sat up half way, and pushed Tachibana back as if ordering him to lay
back. Tachibana asked, "I have to lay down to talk to you? Fine.
You're the one who is injured."

Tachibana lay back on a pillow. Ibu threw the Frankenstein blanket
over him. Tachibana tried not to sigh in annoyance. He hated being
ordered around. At least when Yasuo was bossy he spoke and asked for
things he wanted. Sometimes he would ask to be kissed more after. Or
be held after. Tachibana didn't mind doing either, it's just that it
felt nicer when Yasuo asked because he knew Yasuo really wanted to do
that too. He missed that. Going to sleep with Yasuo. Waking up with
him. There were things from his old life he missed like the curry
place and playing tennis on a top team, but most of all what he had
to admit was the only thing he really missed was Yasuo. Tachibana
decided he really should call him later.

"So anyway what I wanted to talk to you about is...oh,
hello." Like a kitten Ibu moved in one fluid motion to curl up
around him. The freshman's head was on his shoulder and his arms and
limbs were wrapped securely around Tachibana. Very different from how
Yasuo slept next to him, but not bad. "Um...are you
comfortable?" Ibu nodded against him. He felt the freshman move
his arm and one finger pointed on Tachibana's chest. Oh. "Me?
Sure. Fine. So what I wanted..." Ibu put one finger to
Tachibana's lips in the universal shushing gesture. "So, you
want me to be quiet?" Ibu nodded against him. Tachibana could
feel the freshman was hard. It was light but still pressing up
against him and not the kind of thing one would miss. Heart starting
to beat faster, Tachibana asked a loaded question, "So what are
we supposed to do now?"

Ibu shrugged. He moved his finger from resting on Tachibana's lips
to his eyes and moved his hand down like he was trying to close
Tachibana's eyes. It reminded Tachibana of what they did to dead
people in the movies to close their staring eyes. Tachibana asked,
"Sleep? But I'm not tired." Ibu didn't answer at first. The
freshman took Tachibana's hand that was behind his head. He moved it
so Tachibana could feel with his fingers that Ibu's mouth was
smiling. Why was he smiling? Unless...? "You don't believe me?"

Ibu shook his head no while still smiling. He kissed Tachibana's
hand and rest it on his thin shoulder. Then he put his finger back on
Tachibana's lips to say be quiet. "Fine," Tachibana said
with a sigh, "but you'll be sorry if I fall asleep. I snore like
a chainsaw." He kissed Ibu's hand back without thinking about it
and put it to rest on his chest. Ibu's skin was warm. In fact he
thought to himself the freshman might have a slight fever and he
should check it. Maybe later. Right now Ibu needed rest and he was
resting. And the truth was Tachibana slept at most an hour the night
before. He was a little tired. A catnap wouldn't hurt.

That was the last thing he thought of for several hours. Tachibana
slept hard. Literally.

Tachibana woke up groggy. He was having a strange dream that Yasuo
couldn't reach him on the phone but he kept calling and calling. It
made no sense when he felt Yasuo laying in his arms. Which was nice.
Really nice. He missed this. He stretched and realized he hadn't
slept that well since the night before he left school. He was hard.
Very hard and very horny. They never went to sleep without fooling
around first because Yasuo decided otherwise Tachibana tended to wake
up too grumpy and way too horny.

Yasuo liked to joke that when Tachibana was grumpy and horny in
the morning, Yasuo's lion turned into a bear. A bear who hibernated
all winter and woke up cranky, starving, and insatiable. Cranky his
ass. Though if whoever down the hall didn't answer that phone ringing
off the damn hook Tachibana was going to have to turn into a bear and
maul them. But first thing first. In one swift motion he rolled a
still sleeping Yasuo on to his back. He ran the fingers of the arm
Yasuo had been sleeping on up through his roommate's hair while at
the same time with his free hand he cupped Yasuo's partial erection
and testicles. Just as he moved his lips to kiss Yasuo awake
Tachibana wondered why they were wearing clothes when they usually
slept naked.

The person beneath him gasped in surprise at his touch and only
then did Tachibana startle himself almost fully awake. Yasuo's hair
was completely different. His genitals were completely different. His
build was completely different. His smell was completely different
and by now Yasuo would have made some sound....

Damn it. This was not Yasuo. Damn it. No sound. Damn it.
This was Ibu. Damn it, damn it, damn it! Tachibana let go of the
freshman's genitals, cursed, and tried to stammer out an apology,
"Sorry! I'm so sorry. In...in my sleep, I thought you were
someone els...?"

Ibu's arms snaked around Tachibana's neck and were trying to pull
his mouth back down to the freshman's. The only sounds Tachibana
could hear was the pounding of his own heart and Ibu's breath. The
freshman was breathing hard. Their lips were so close. In the dark
Tachibana could sense how close. Centimeters away at most. Ibu was
trying to pull Tachibana down and at the same time the freshman was
trying to press as much of his slight body up against Tachibana as he
could. "Ibu...please...don't!" Tachibana protested because
he knew himself. This close to the edge when he went over he wouldn't
stop. He couldn't. "Ibu please...don't do this unless you really
want...."

In response, Ibu pulled them closer even more insistently. He
wanted. Their lips were so close. Even closer. Millimeters apart.
Tachibana could feel the freshman's moist breath, panting warm
teasing heat against his own lips. So close....he wanted
this...wanted him...it was almost perfect...if someone would just
finally answer that damn phone....

Tachibana broke Ibu's hold and cursed. It was his damn
phone! Then he heard another phone ringing. Ibu's. He looked at
the clock. It was after eight! Damn it! He cursed again and jumped
up, "Ibu, we overslept! Our phones!"

He flipped the light on and spared Ibu no more than a glance as
the shock of light stunned their eyes at the same time. Ibu's hair
was sleep tousled. He looked confused and turned on but at the same
time as stunned as Tachibana felt.

Tachibana ran down the hall to answer the phones. His stopped
ringing. He picked up Ibu's but before he could finish his greeting a
shrill voice rang out, "YOU BASTARDS! YOU STUPID AND COMPLETE
TOTAL BASTARDS! I'M COMING OVER AND DON'T TRY TO STOP ME! TELL SHINJI
I'M LEAVING NOW!"

Ibu stood in the hall looking pale and dazed. He was half wrapped
in the Frankenstein blanket. His hands were spread in a waving
gesture which meant Tachibana should go ahead and tell Ibu what he
just heard.

Still feeling stunned and unsure of what it meant Tachibana said,
"Uh that was Kamio and he's furious. I've never heard him so
angry. He and everyone else was probably trying to call and we didn't
hear our phones. Kamio said he's coming over and to tell you that
he's leaving right now...."

Ibu's eyes got so wide Tachibana thought they might fall out of
his head. He dropped the blanket and pointed down to the ground with
both of his index fingers. Tachibana guessed Ibu was silently asking,
'Here now, right now?'

Running his hands through his short hair and wondering if Kamio
wasn't a jealous boyfriend after all Tachibana said, "Uh, yeah
that's the last thing he said to me. 'Tell Shinji I'm leaving now'
and then he hung....hey! Where are you going?! Ibu! Shinji!"

In all that time training the freshmen, Tachibana never saw Ibu
move so fast. He moved as if his life depended on it. In less than
two seconds Ibu grabbed a random coat in his hallway, slipped on
shoes, threw a coat and shoes literally at Tachibana, and gestured
urgently as if to say hurry! Now! Hurry!

Without a look back at Tachibana and leaving his front door wide
open, Ibu looking completely panicked bolted out into the rainy night
as if he were set on fire.

Tachibana stood there with his mouth hanging open. What the hell?
He cursed. He threw on his own shoes. He cursed more. He grabbed both
of their phones. He cursed some more. He threw on the jacket Ibu
tossed him. He cursed even more. He locked the door using Ibu's keys.
He was out of curses so he made up some new ones. Tachibana ran out
in the rain after Ibu praying to any gods that would listen that he
could catch up with them before anything worse did.
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Learning to Land