Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Learning to Land	By : Suteishichic Category: Prince of Tennis/Tennis no Ohjisama > General Views: 11419 -:- 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
- 112
- 113
Learning to Land by Suteishichic. Chapter One Hundred Twelve ~ Izumi
Warnings: Yaoi, Love, Angst, Fluff, and Lots of Sex. Some kink. You've been warned ;)
Disclaimer: Nope not mine. Still in my dreams. ;)

The final chapter of L2L ~112. Next up: Learning to Play. Thanks for reading!

Izumi Tomoya decided Fukawa Kimiyoshi really made him angry.
Sure, Fukawa was a great natural athlete and that was cool. They got along well enough that if they were in gym class or something and Izumi got the chance to pair up with the lean and lanky Fukawa, he took it. In fact, outgoing, popular Izumi made sure he got the chance to pair up with Fukawa whenever possible. Izumi picked Fukawa first no matter what team he was on or what sport they were playing.
Izumi guessed that was why people always thought he and the quiet, strange Fukawa were friends. But really, they weren't. Outside of sports or playing a sport, he had little to nothing to do with Fukawa. He didn't even know where the guy lived or how many siblings he had. Izumi wasn't the kind of guy to ask questions and it wasn't like Fukawa talked much. He just kind of went wherever Izumi told him to go and played well.
It wasn't just that Izumi didn't really care about Fukawa outside of sports, but Izumi was pretty taxed in his own life. He was the third child in a family with a total of eight children that ranged in age from twenty one to just under two years old. Izumi lived in a small, cramped apartment with his three brothers, four sisters, his parents, and two of his grandparents. His home was a loud, chaotic place where personal space and privacy were considered an impossible luxury. Early on, playing sports became Izumi's escape and his way of dealing with the stresses of his life.
His family with that many mouths to feed was not well off. His parents made sure their children's education came first and that they had all the necessities, but they stuck to a very strict budget. Everything that could be shared was from clothing to chores and everyone was expected to pull his or her own weight. If a child wanted a luxury item from a book to a game to a CD, they were expected to work to earn it and to share it with their siblings.
Izumi respected this, but with his oldest brother 21 and his older sister just shy of turning 19, he had the unique perspective of being the one that the younger kids were most likely to "borrow" things from. This was mostly because all his older brother and sister had to say was no and explain the item was "for adults". Instantly Izumi's parents backed them up, but Izumi in junior high had no "adult" excuses so his stuff was constantly borrowed. Although they had good intentions, his books, clothes, and CDs were never returned by his siblings in the same condition they were before being loaned out.
His only escape became sports and this was a lucky chance. Izumi's two next siblings were girls age ten and eight and neither one had any interest in sports. Both were really girlie girls which was great. This meant any sports equipment he bought for himself was left alone. Playing sports was about all Izumi could afford on a regular basis, and the more he played, the more into it he got. Sure, he had friends with the latest games and books and gadgets and he enjoyed visiting their houses, but there was something pure about playing sports.
There was something honest and exciting about physically exerting yourself and winning against opponents. It made Izumi happy like nothing else and gave him a feeling of individual accomplishment and pride unlike anything else. His family was great even if they were big and loud, and there were times when he felt almost drowned out in all the chaos and attention some of his younger siblings needed, but when Izumi played, it was just him.
The simple facts were Izumi loved to play, and he almost needed to play something to keep his sanity. He didn't like to lose, and he loved best of all sports where thinking and strategy were part of the game play. Izumi was good as an athlete, he was good at whatever sport he picked up as long as he practiced, but Izumi was even better when he had a partner or a team who followed his directions. Izumi was great as a planner. That was where he thrived. He made up the plays and the team would win.
Izumi enjoyed the chance to compete, but early on found it was way more fun to compete when you were sure to win. Since grade school, he was most sure to win with Fukawa because unlike some of the other guys, Fukawa had two things going for him. One, he was a natural athlete. He took to any new sport as if he was born to play it. Fukawa didn't need the hours of practice Izumi did to be really good at something. His body was lean but well-muscled and whatever he was asked to do, Fukawa did. His second advantage was Fukawa did whatever Izumi told him to do. Izumi made up the plays to be played and Fukawa made them physically come true to enable them to win. Combined they made a good team�just one Izumi usually thought of as convenient, instead of permanent.
The way to win was to make sure Fukawa was always on his team so the long-haired guy was picked first by Izumi to play on his side for everything from gym class dodge ball to ping pong. Izumi even dragged Fukawa with him to other sports from a bunch of friends getting together for a casual game of street baseball to the tennis club their freshman year. There was not much dragging involved. Izumi told Fukawa the day they were supposed to choose their club they were both going to sign up for the tennis club.
At the time Izumi reasoned to Fukawa (who never even asked why or said anything) that with so many people signing up for baseball that they'd never get a chance to play. There were sixty senior players already in the club, and the club wasn't that good. They rarely made it out of the first round of games and were usually eliminated in the first round. The baseball club was more like a social thing for the guys (and the girls who watched them) instead of a real sports club.
Fukawa shrugged and walked with Izumi to sign up. If anything, the quiet guy seemed pleased and Izumi knew Fukawa liked tennis. They'd first played tennis in grade school gym class and lately they'd gone to play around town at local courts whenever they could. Fukawa seemed to like it although he never said (but he was always up for playing). In fact, Fukawa gave him a sweet tennis racket for his birthday so the guy must have enjoyed playing. Fukawa said the expensive racket and gift was no big deal because it was an old one he didn't like. They weren't the kind of friends to give each other gifts and stuff, but if Fukawa was glad to get rid of it Izumi was thrilled to accept it. No way could he afford it on his own working part-time delivering newspapers.
To keep things from being weird though in response to the gift Izumi shrugged and said something casual like thanks and he'd try it. But Izumi was secretly thrilled. The moment he held it in his hands it felt...right. Like it was made just for him. The racket fit Izumi perfectly (even the color) and he was very happy to get rid of the nasty ancient wooden one he was using. Once upon a time it must have been his older brother's although he suspected the clunky ugly thing actually had once been his dad's or even older because he just found it sitting in a closet one rainy afternoon.
Finding that old racket though was the thing that made Izumi think of playing tennis outside of school. He was stuck inside with his little brothers and sisters making tons of noise but he knew of this indoor public court. He knew Fukawa was always up for playing any sport and that was the first time Izumi ever actually called Fukawa. After that first time all Izumi had to do was call and the guy would show.
Izumi finding he liked tennis more than any other sports started slowly. At first he and Fukawa just played tennis once or twice over a weekend and then by chance Izumi signed them up to play in a big local grade school match. That match really changed everything. He and Fukawa played doubles because those were the only slots open. They'd never really played doubles before and they were paired against a team that was unbeatable. Their opponents who everyone called "Yin" and "Yang" were the most incredible athletes Izumi had ever seen. It was like the pair could speak to each other without saying a word. It was like the two of them were dancing to music instead of running or playing a game. Their play was several levels above anything Izumi had ever seen and even to lose to them felt like a privilege because it felt like you were a part of history just for being there.
It inspired Izumi like nothing else ever had. Izumi and Fukawa were soundly beaten along with every other team the pair faced that day. Yin and Yang went on to win the national championship and Izumi and Fukawa were there to witness it. Somehow Fukawa scored two tickets and they went. As he watched Yin and Yang beat team after team, Izumi was so into it that his heart rate was elevated to where he could hear it pounding in his ears over the roar of the crowd watching. He barely remembered to breathe. He cheered so loudly along with the rest of the crowd when they won that he lost his voice for days (it was one of the few times Fukawa had to speak for him).
After that, all other sports paled. Even baseball seemed boring. His favorite baseball player left Japan to play in America and Izumi's favorite team was in last place. Again. Izumi usually got stuck out in left field where he was all alone sweating under the hot sun and waiting for a fly ball that would never be hit as far out as he was instead of moving. At least Fukawa got to pitch. The best in baseball Izumi could hope for was being a catcher which really sucked. Fukawa packed a lot of punch into his pitches and at the end of even a short inning (so little strategy, he'd signal to Fukawa to strike the batter out and Fukawa would...boring!), Izumi's hands would sting and his legs would ache from being crouched down so long.
But tennis was interesting. There was strategy in tennis. Each player you faced was a new challenge. Each match was a new opportunity for change and growth. You moved a lot in tennis. You were directly responsible for your own fate and plays. And Izumi figured that if after working hard at it, if he could play just half as well as either Yin or Yang--now that would really be something.
He wasn't delusional. Izumi didn't figure he would win at nationals, but he was good at tennis and he loved to play. Plus with tennis, you never knew what would happen. There was always that chance that you could win big against anyone.
The Gyokurin school team was small enough that if you worked hard you would get to play often and the senpais were cool. Some schools were obsessed with their tennis teams. At places like Hyoutei and Rikkai Dai everyone went more than a little crazy worshiping the players as if they were somehow better than everyone else. Not at Gyokurin. There was a balance between playing a match to win and having a good time. Even the senpais were laid-back and fun. There was a good chance that if he worked hard by his second year, Izumi could be playing matches as a regular.
Especially if he had Fukawa in his court.
The simple fact was there were far more people who wanted to play singles than doubles. Izumi just wanted to play. If that meant their second year he had to play doubles with Fukawa in order to play singles his senior year, then so be it. Fukawa didn't seem to mind either. At least he never said.
Club activities at Gyokurin started before school started. It was good for Izumi because club activities were included in the price of tuition. More importantly, joining a club got him out of the house and out of babysitting his brothers and sisters or stuck doing his part-time job delivering newspapers.
The first weeks of club were great. They worked hard and yes, and as freshmen they had to clean up after every practice, but Izumi was having a great time and learning a lot. There was a whole world of doubles play he and Fukawa never knew about. There were entire strategies Izumi never thought about. His mind was filled with game plays and combinations. All his spare time was taken up by researching tennis and thinking about it. Each day Izumi couldn't wait to work on this stuff with Fukawa.
He thought Fukawa was as into it as he was, but the week before school started though as he went to warm up, Izumi noticed Fukawa was not there.
It was pretty easy to not notice Fukawa. People often forgot he was around. The guy tended to blend in with the furniture or fade into the background unless you were specifically looking for him. He didn't talk much and tended to hang back away from everyone. But whenever it came time to do something, something like warm up or run laps or clean, Fukawa would just appear at Izumi's side. He wouldn't ask Izumi to warm up or anything, he would just sort of stand there and wait. If Izumi ever asked someone else to warm up or do something Fukawa probably wouldn't say a word, but he was always there so Izumi always warmed up with him.
He looked around. No Fukawa. Izumi was just about to ask the coach if he should call to see if Fukawa was sick when their coach smiled at him, "No Fukawa this week, remember? How about if you warm up this week with Suzuki."
Remember? He had no idea what was going on. It was when warming up with Suzuki that Izumi found out where the hell Fukawa was. Seemed like everyone but Izumi knew too and this bothered the hell out of him although he wasn't sure why. Probably Fukawa told Suzuki or one other person (it wasn't like the guy spoke much) and that other person told everyone else. Somehow what Fukawa said just never got around to anyone telling Izumi that Fukawa was away this week trying out for Hyoutei.
Hyoutei! Of all places! Whenever Izumi said how stupid Hyoutei acted over their tennis players Fukawa was standing right there and never said a word. When Izumi said how much he was looking forward to seeing everyone else and all the girls when school started Fukawa didn't utter a sound. When Fukawa walked with Izumi back to his apartment building, just like Fukawa did after every practice and like they had all through grade school Fukawa didn't say anything. And just like always Izumi said see you tomorrow and Fukawa said nothing.
Just like he always did. He waved. Just like always.
Izumi was angry and as the day wore on he only grew angrier. Everyone wanted to talk about Fukawa and how this was his big chance. Turns out everyone knew Fukawa better than Izumi did. Everyone else knew Fukawa was rich. Like really, really rich. Everyone else knew that Fukawa's dad had gone to Hyoutei. Everyone else knew Fukawa's parents were divorced and Fukawa lived mostly by himself in The Towers. The Towers! The richest, newest, most fancy place to live in their area. The entire building was designed so that the residents never had to leave the building for anything. The first twenty floors of the first tower were completed but when it was done, there would be thousands of new homes, places, parks, restaurants, and shops all contained within the towers and all exclusively available only to the residents.
He couldn't imagine how Fukawa must have snickered when every day he saw the poor, rundown, old apartment building Izumi and his family lived in. Izumi's tennis racket, once so prized, really might have been just a throwaway his wealthy classmate didn't want anymore. He must have looked at the old racket Izumi had been using and felt embarrassed for him. So Fukawa gave his discarded one away to the poorest childhood friend he knew.
Friend? How could Izumi call Fukawa a friend when he knew nothing about the guy? Fukawa obviously talked to everyone else about his life and this opportunity. He almost seemed to go out of his way to leave Izumi in the dark. Izumi wondered bitterly if Fukawa was looking at his watch and laughing thinking of how stupid Izumi must look sitting here stunned warming up without him and knowing nothing like a fool. Probably worse. Probably Fukawa didn't think about Izumi or how Izumi felt at all.
Izumi felt so angry and hurt it made him want to be sick. No wonder Fukawa didn't care about signing up for the tennis club. He wouldn't even be there! The entire week Fukawa was away Izumi was tempted to call him and tell him off. Especially the first few days. Fukawa screwed up Izumi's plan for them to be regulars together and he screwed up Izumi's playing because Izumi found he couldn't play well when he was this upset and there was no one to talk to.
If Izumi tried to tell any of the guys about how he felt they would make fun of him for sure. In fact, the person that Izumi would usually talk to about any of this or anything that upset him at all was always Fukawa. Not that Fukawa usually said much back, but whenever he needed to talk to someone Izumi could call on Fukawa. At least he always could in the past.
By Friday of that week Izumi mustered up enough anger and just enough courage to call Fukawa's cell phone. After practice that night, if no one had heard anything from Fukawa, he was going to call him. Izumi decided that since they would be talking over the phone and that most of the time when he called Fukawa it was to meet him somewhere to play tennis, he should probably keep the call short and simple. Izumi didn't want to come off sounding angry or bitchy like a girl in case Fukawa took it the wrong way. Or in case Fukawa told someone else that Izumi was mad at him or missing him or some other crap like that. Fukawa wasn't likely to do that, but on second thought with how much he apparently had talked to everyone else but Izumi about the whole Hyoutei thing, Izumi couldn't be too sure.
Izumi even came up with several excuses and reasons why he was calling in case Fukawa asked (which he probably wouldn't but just in case it was good to have these things in place). His first reason sounded a little angry but Izumi felt he had the right to know. He would say he was calling to ask if he should even bother to expect Fukawa to show up for the team's practice match with Fudasei the next day. The second reason was he really wanted to tell Fukawa some gossip about a girl in their class Iguchi told him was dating a guy in high school (yes, Iguchi said not not tell anyone but Fukawa wouldn't tell a soul if Izumi told him not to). And his third and final reason, which he decided he would only use if completely necessary was to ask Fukawa how the hell he was doing. As the days passed, Izumi had started to get a little worried about him.
Yes, Fukawa didn't talk much, but Izumi was really good at reading how Fukawa was feeling and what was going on with him by how he acted. They'd been in the same class since grade school and now that Izumi was thinking about it, that last day when Fukawa left Izumi in front of his apartment house, thinking back Izumi realized there had been something up with Fukawa. Izumi was just too distracted thinking of tennis plays, what day it was, and what his chores for the night were going to be to notice.
But when he waved goodbye to Izumi that last day, Fukawa had definitely...hesitated. That in itself was strange. Fukawa had this great memory. He could remember things that sometimes Izumi only knew had really happened from photographs. Little details too that most people forgot as they got older. Like the color crayon used for the sky in a drawing Izumi drew when they were in first grade. That sort of stuff Fukawa remembered as if it happened just yesterday. Fukawa could remember if it was a rainy day and if it was a Tuesday or a Thursday when Izumi had to go home sick with a stomach flu in the third grade.
For Fukawa to stand there waving was strange enough that Izumi should have asked if something was up or said something, but he hadn't.
And now it might be too late.
Or maybe not. Fukawa was good but what if he didn't make the team? Would that be hard for him? How bad did he want to join? Why did he want to join? Why did he want to change schools? Who would Fukawa go to if he needed to talk to someone? Izumi always spoke up for Fukawa. He never let Fukawa get forgotten. Sometimes when people would plan sleepovers and stuff they would forget Fukawa because he was so quiet but Izumi always made sure he was included. Without Izumi there to speak up for him in a group of guys that Fukawa didn't know, would he be okay? And Izumi heard things from their senpais about people trashing other people's rackets at competitive schools like Hyoutei or even putting razor blades in shoes and stuff. Fukawa was nice and kind and he wouldn't have any idea how to protect himself.
Izumi heard other stories about how brutal the practices and trials at Hyoutei were. Hell, everyone heard things about Hyoutei. How would Fukawa with his easy-going nature and gentle smile be able to handle all that pressure all of a sudden? If Yin and Yang were a nearly unattainable goal because those guys had been playing tennis competitively since birth, then Fukawa just starting at tennis playing at a place like Hyoutei would be as absurd as a junior high freshman playing in a major tournament against a pro. The more he thought about it, the more Izumi worried and decided calling Fukawa was the right thing to do.
Until he got to practice and found out Suzuki already heard from Fukawa. Izumi wasn't sure which one of them called the other (and was pretty angry either way because either Fukawa didn't call him or Suzuki beat him to calling Fukawa but Izumi couldn't ask another guy something likethat) but apparently Fukawa was just fine and would be back for their match the next day. Suzuki said he didn't have any more details than that because Fukawa had to get off the phone but said he would tell everyone what was up when he saw them.
Izumi was mad. He was so mad that he played like garbage all day and didn't care. He was so angry that he accidentally hit Suzuki with the ball in the back of the head when he went to serve in a doubles practice game. By the time he and Suzuki finished shouting at each other (it was an accident and Suzuki shouldn't have been standing there--Fukawa would never do anything that stupid) and they were ordered to run twenty laps, Izumi was seething.
As soon as practice was over Izumi stormed home long before their coach could corner him and talk to him. Their coach loved to try to get them all to talk about their feelings and crap like that (everyone made fun of it and all the feelings talks although they all liked and respected the coach a great deal), and Izumi wanted no part of it. His goal was to get home as soon as possible, take care of his chores for the night (Friday was his day to do the dishes and the laundry), take a bath, and go to bed. If he could do all that without having to talk to anyone, he would be...not happy, but not quite as angry as he felt now. Izumi just wanted to be left the hell alone.
But that was not going to happen. As Izumi went to cross the street to his apartment building, he saw his coach's car sitting there with his coach in the driver's seat. "Get in," his coach said. "I'm taking you out to dinner and we're going to have a talk."
Normally this would be fine. Great even except for the talking, but not tonight, "I can't go. I have chores, sorry."
Izumi went to walk past the car, but he was stopped by his oldest brother who hopped out of the passenger door of the car. His brother held the car door open for him, "I'll take care of your chores. Go."
Izumi tried to shake off his brother's arm, "Aniki, I can't go! I have things to do." He was feeling more desperate, "I have reading and homework still."
His brother though was a big guy and didn't budge no matter how hard he pushed and pulled, "You've been a monster all week. You can do your homework, which by the way you said was already done tomorrow or when you get back. Go." His brother smiled his fake hard smile which meant he was not going to give in, "Go or I'll tell my boyfriend to bench you for the rest of the year, and I'll start going to your practices to cheer for you."
In a panic Izumi looked at the coach, his brother's boyfriend (though no one was supposed to know and as far as Izumi was concerned no one did because no way in hell was he going to tell anyone). The coach smiled but not at Izumi, "You are wicked." He turned to Izumi, "Tomo-kun, you know I'd have to listen to my boyfriend. Let's go."
"Fine," Angry and feeling defeated, Izumi shook off his brother's arm and got in the car before anyone saw the three of them standing there or before his brother got it into his head to embarrass him any more. He never knew what his brother was going to do because the big guy was so annoyingly in love. Izumi was too busy thinking how all this was Fukawa's fault to really hear the mortifyingly mushy goodbyes his brother and his coach said to each other.
In the middle of his anger, Izumi had a sudden strange thought though. He thought how hard it must be for his brother and his coach to stand there and just say the words. He wondered at how they could see each other after not seeing each other all day and not be able to really hug each other or kiss goodbye because they were in public. That must really suck.
The two met in college and had been together ever since. Izumi's brother was in his last year at school now and this was his coach's first year as a real teacher (which was how he got stuck coaching the tennis club).
They were each so busy with work and school and things they rarely got to see each other and were each still living with their families to try to save up money to eventually move in together. His brother's dream had always been to be a teacher and his coach was a good coach and teacher. They were open with their families and very happy together. They were good together. They belonged together. Their relationship just was not able to be open as it should be.
Izumi felt a sinking sadness thinking about it, and the sadness lingered as his coach pulled into the parking lot of a popular burger place. His coach looked at him, "Do you want to eat inside or outside?"
The place was a theme restaurant made like an American diner. They had waitresses in roller skates both inside and outside. It was loud and more fun inside, but the car would be better. Izumi was stuck so he might as well get this over with. Izumi shrugged, "Outside is okay, I guess." He shrugged again, "It'll be quieter, is that okay with you?"
His coach looked surprised but agreed as he pulled into a parking space. A cute girl in a short skirt skated over to them with menus and after flirting with his coach she took their orders. Izumi was used to the flirting thing because their coach was a good looking guy. Good looking enough that the girls usually (and sometimes even men) flirted with him. Sometimes his brother did get jealous but anyone who saw them together could see his coach was completely in love with his brother (and vice versa, which was why Izumi decided long ago they should never risk it and his brother should never go to any tennis matches).
Izumi thought maybe at least he could eat in peace, but his coach had other ideas. Before the food even arrived his coach asked, "Why are you so jealous of Fukawa? You don't seriously wish you were going to Hyoutei, do you?"
Shocked and outraged Izumi answered without thinking, "Jealous? You think I'm jealous? I'm not jealous! Why would you think I'm jealous? I don't want to go to stupid Hyoutei! No way."
Shrugging the coach said, "Everyone thinks you're jealous. At least the other freshmen have all said they think that's how you're feeling. You know, it's okay to feel envious when a friend has an opportunity you might not have, but..."
Izumi couldn't believe it. He put his hands up in a stop signal, "Woah, wait. First of all I am not jealous. Mad, yes, but I don't want to go to Hyoutei and I never did. That's just...that's just stupid. I was mad because Fukawa never even told me he was going to try out. The first I found out about it was when we went to warm up and he wasn't there. He talked to everyone else but me about it. Everyone says we're such great friends, but I guess we're not because he never said anything to me." Before his coach could say anything he finished, "And then he went and called Suzuki and told him he'd be back tomorrow, but again, he never called me. Here I was all worried about how he was doing, but he doesn't think at all about how I am or about me." Izumi put his hands down and looked down at the floor. His bag with his racket, the racket from Fukawa, was resting between his legs. He kicked it off and told himself it was so he could eat in the car better.
"Tomo-kun?" His coach was the only one who still called him that. Even his parents didn't anymore, but he'd always felt close to his brother's boyfriend and had even gone with them on some dates when they were first dating. "Did you try talking to him about it, or calling him?"
"No." Izumi knew he was sulking. That's what his mom always called it when he was like this. When he felt someone had hurt him, it took Izumi a long time to warm up to them again. He just didn't like talking about feelings and all that kind of crap. That was for his sisters and stuff. Not for him. And anyway, "He's probably too busy or he would have called me. If he wanted to talk to me, he would have."
His coach sighed, "And if he told you before he went, what would you have said?"
Izumi hadn't thought about it. He shrugged, "I don't know. Probably it's stupid and not to go. We've spent all this time practicing and playing. I don't even know why he went."
"What if he didn't have a choice? What if Fukawa's father made him go tryout?" He could feel his coach looking at him and knew the look he would be getting. It would be the patient look while he waited for Izumi to answer. He was good like that and really listened when you talked with him, but it was kind of annoying when you didn't feel like talking. His coach wore glasses at school and most of the time although on dates with his brother, his coach wore contact lenses. It was sort of like he was trying to get people to stop flirting with him by wearing his glasses, but even with the glasses on his coach couldn't hide that he had a pretty face.
"I don't know. It's still stupid for him to go if he didn't want to." Izumi shrugged. Either way Fukawa didn't talk to him about any of this.
"Not everyone is as lucky as you to have a family that is so accepting or one that let's their children make their own decisions. I see it all the time at school and I know you have to have friends with strict parents. My grandparents are strict like that. My dad had a really rough childhood because his father pushed him and forced him to do many things."
Izumi looked at his coach. His coach's father died suddenly two years ago and although the death affected him deeply, he rarely talked about his father with anyone.
His coach got a very gentle smile on his face, one Izumi had only seen when his coach looked at his brother, "My dad was a very good dad. He let me grow up to be my own person and supported me no matter what. He even accepted me and your brother being together. A lot of parents won't, and to this day, my grandparents don't know. They would never accept it. But I was very lucky to have a dad who not only accepted me for who I am and for who I love, but one who really just wanted me to be happy."
His coach turned a little to face him, "I haven't met his parents, but if I had to guess from everything that I've heard, I don't think Fukawa's parents are very accepting. I think he had to go because he had to. I can tell you this though, Fukawa could play with anyone. He could warm up with anyone and walk home with anyone, but every day he picks you. He could have joined the baseball team, the basketball team, the volleyball team, or any other sports club. They all would have welcomed him, but he chose to join the tennis club with you. If he didn't talk to you about something, as his friend, you're going to have to find out why. Being angry and hurt because he didn't talk to you isn't going to help anyone and it's making everyone think you're jealous of your friend. You need to talk to him, and I think he probably needs to talk to you too."
The food arrived. His coach was busy with rolling down his window the right amount so the waitress could put the tray in the window and then passing out their food. Izumi was hungry, but he didn't feel like eating right then. He had too much on his mind so he took a drink of soda. Without thinking about it he'd ordered rootbeer. Not his favorite but it was Fukawa's favorite. Usually Izumi ordered it because he didn't have much money and they shared it. He wondered about Fukawa being rich and not buying his own.
Izumi spread extra mustard on everything. That was one thing he and Fukawa did not have in common. Fukawa hated mustard. He even sometimes said he was allergic to it just to keep people from putting it on things. Izumi loved it. Especially on cheeseburgers and french fries. If Fukawa was there, he'd have to split the fries up on two napkins and put ketchup on one pile for Fukawa and mustard and ketchup on his. The only nice thing about Fukawa hating mustard was ordering everything without mustard meant everything they ordered arrived hot and fresh. This cheeseburger wasn't as hot as it would have been if Fukawa was there. Izumi took a bite anyway and washed it down with rootbeer. He voiced the worry he had in the back of his mind, "What if he doesn't come back? Did you hear if he's really going away to Hyoutei? Hey, don't burn your mouth, coach."
His coach was wrestling with a hot onion ring and grinned sheepishly. He kept taking little bites and then having to take a drink because it was too hot for his mouth. He always ate his food too hot like he was starving and would burn his mouth. And for a skinny guy his coach could eat more than anyone else Izumi knew. If Izumi's brother was there, he would take the food away and make him wait until it cooled down or take it from him and blow on it to cool it down. They were annoyingly cute together. "You're just like your brother. I'm fine." He took another little bite and then quickly took a drink. "I don't know what Fukawa is going to decide to do. I haven't talked to him." His coach looked at him as if that had some sort of meaning or something. He rolled his eyes, "You should call him and ask him if you're that concerned. What will you do if he goes to Hyoutei?"
Izumi shrugged and ate a mostly mustard covered french fry, "Nothing I can do. I'll see him tomorrow and we can talk then. What? We're guys, we don't call each other to chat. It would be weird." He had a sudden fear about this whole dinner thing and the reason behind it, "Am I benched tomorrow?" In the practice match, everyone was supposed to play at least one set with the opposing team including the freshmen. The rules were almost like street tennis in that you kept playing new people until you lost.
His coach was now struggling to eat a hamburger that was apparently very hot, "Don't know. Do you want to be benched tomorrow? What will you do if Fukawa shows up and wants to play doubles? Suzuki wanted to play with you until you nailed him in the back of the head today. Nice shot by the way. Next time can you please not do that if you're upset and just talk to me?" The words were harsh but his coach was smiling.
Izumi grinned despite himself. "Totally not my fault. He walked right into that. He sucks at doubles. He only wants to play because he thinks he'll win with me and he'll get to play longer." Izumi shrugged, "If Fukawa shows up and wants to play with me I guess it's okay. Better than Suzuki. I'd rather play singles than with Suzuki."
His coach took a drink, "You can if you want but I don't think you'll last long at singles. They actually have a big team with over half of them senpais."
Izumi shrugged, "No worries. There may be a lot of them but they're not very good. We beat them in regionals last year twice. And that was before Fukawa and I were playing."
His coach laughed, "Confident or cocky?"
Izumi smiled, "Both." He laughed, suddenly feeling better than he had all week.
When Izumi opened his apartment building door the next morning, Fukawa was standing there.
Izumi did a double-take.

Yay! Finally! Now I know some people will be wondering probably who the heck Izumi and Fukawa are but I trust you'll figure it out. Plus, I sorta like them. Yes, they're important too so no worries. We're well on schedule and everyone else will be updated ASAP, k? XDDD

Now on to learning_2_play!

Thanks as always for reading and reviewing!

I have more time now that the wedding is over and I'll be sure to reward everyone who's stuck through the hectic-ness where I was too busy to post with new chapters and some original things very soon.
- 112
- 113
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Learning to Land