Of bratty demons and mushroom heads

CHAPTER 28

Tennis practice was over finally. Sanada had made Akaya run an extra fifty laps because he'd caught him texting Hiyoshi, and it had taken what felt like forever to finish them. But that didn't matter, he was home now and he couldn't wait to snuggle up to his boyfriend. He opened his door with a happy call of "Waka~---" He fell silent as he saw his boyfriend packing his things, "Wakashi…? What are you doing?"

Hiyoshi turned from his work when Akaya entered the room. “Packing up what I’ll need so I can move into the new room they assigned me.” There were only a few more things he might need, but he could always come back and pick them up later. Oh, but he would definitely want most of his bathroom supplies. He walked to their joined basket and started removing some of its contents.

"Why?" Akaya asked quietly and closed the door behind him. He didn't like where this conversation was going, and it had barely started. "I thought you were just going to stay with me until they fix up your old one...”

Finished taking out what he would need from their bathroom supplies, Hiyoshi returned to the small bag he was packing. “We don’t know how long that will take, and I only stayed here after the earthquake since I was hurt. We never really talked about it, so I thought it was obvious that I should move to my own room since I’m fine now.” It wasn’t that big a deal. It wasn’t like they wouldn’t still see each other every day still. “Would you get me my toothbrush?”

The bratty demon felt a little pain grow in his chest and he looked down, his hair covering his eyes as he fetched the toothbrush from the bathroom and handed it to Hiyoshi, staying a full arms length away. "Alright..." he said quietly, unsure of why this was bothering him so much. Maybe it was because Hiyoshi actually looked happy to be leaving.

After his boyfriend handed him the toothbrush, Hiyoshi caught a glimpse of Akaya’s face and raised a confused eyebrow. “What’s wrong? Don’t you want your own space back?” The room was a single, and rather small for two people to share. He had been comfortable enough, since it was Akaya, but he thought his boyfriend might appreciate having his privacy back.

"No…" Akaya said quietly with a little shake of his head and backed up toward the door, "Nothing's wrong," he lied and forced a smile. "I just remembered I forgot something in the locker room. I… uh, gotta go get it before Sanada-fukubuchou locks the place up." With that, he bolted out of the room. He was over reacting, he knew it, but he couldn't help it. His chest ached and he didn't understand it.

Eyes widened at Akaya’s forced smile and very translucent lie. When Akaya told an obvious lie, it meant something was very wrong. Before he could ask though, Akaya had already run off. It took all of three seconds for his eyes to narrow, get to his feet, and run after him; however, his boyfriend was a very fast runner. By the time he got to the hallway, Akaya was already long gone. “Shit!” He cursed before taking off after him. “Akaya!” he yelled fairly loudly once he got outside, looking around for his frustrating chibi demon.

When it was obvious Akaya was no longer in hearing range, Hiyoshi figured he would have gone to one of two places; the tennis courts or the lake they frequented. Thinking the courts was a better bet; he began a slow trek in that direction. He didn’t want to catch up with him too fast. Whatever Akaya was upset about, it would probably be better if he gave him time to vent it out first. He tried to think what he could have possibly done wrong in so short a time. Was Akaya really that angry at him for moving out to his own room? Was it because they hadn’t talked about it first? He didn’t really want or need to. He had just assumed… This was getting him nowhere. He needed to find Akaya.

Kirihara Akaya ran down to the courts, glad that he hadn't set his tennis bag down when he'd walked into their---no, his room. He had heard Hiyoshi call, but never slowed down. He didn't want the other man to find him. Though, he knew he would eventually. Maybe he would just get tired of looking for him and give up. Angry and confused, he walked out onto the court and dropped his bag down with a loud thud, then took out his racket and grabbed a hopper of balls that Sanada hadn't locked up yet.

The aforementioned fukubuchou raised an eyebrow, but took one look at Akaya and knew something must have happened between his kohai and Hiyoshi. That determined look only appeared on the other man’s face when he was upset. Maybe he would play a match with him. That seemed to help back in junior high. Sanada grabbed his racket and took a stand on the opposing base line without a word.

The younger boy understood the challenge and silently took a serving position, sending a knuckle serve rocketing across the court. All thoughts of Hiyoshi pushed immediately from his mind in an odd form of self preservation. When he was on a court all he thought about was the match. It was his own kind of meditation, and today would be the day he beat Sanada. He could feel it.

Hiyoshi had been right. When it came to the brat, he usually was. Akaya was on the courts as expected, looking like he was about to murder a passive looking Sanada. He knew better than to interrupt in the middle of a match, so instead quietly took a seat on a nearby bench to wait and watch.

Sanada noticed the presence of the former Hyotei student immediately, but made no mention of it. "You're slow, Akaya," he challenged and smashed the ball into the back corner of the court, making Akaya miss it by a few inches. "5-1," he stated simply, more for the benefit of Hiyoshi than for Akaya. He knew the younger boy knew the score if his bloodshot eyes were any indication.

Akaya screamed in frustration and switched into demon mode. "Why? After all this time!" He cried out to himself and got ready to serve again. He wouldn't lose, he refused to lose again. He had long since gained the ability to control his muga no kyouchi and he used it to send one of Atobe’s Taunhauser serves across the net. Akaya hit the ball with every emotion he was feeling. Hurt, love, fear, everything... That was his tennis.

It really was impressive how much Akaya’s tennis had grown since they were younger. The brat’s hard work had paid off. But it was obvious who the winner would be even before Sanada called out the score. However, Hiyoshi was more worried about the look in Akaya’s eyes and what that meant. He wondered if maybe he shouldn’t be there and thought about leaving, but for some reason, stayed rooted to his seat. Even like this, Hiyoshi couldn’t help feeling a pull towards Akaya and silently cheered for him. Instead of turning away as the match became more intense, he stood and walked towards the gate surrounding the net, eyes locked on the boy he’d come to care for.

Sanada could tell Akaya’s mood from tennis. He'd watched him for years and knew his style better than most, and he could tell how scared and confused his kohai was. For the first time in a long time, he underestimated the determination in the younger boy.

Akaya took the next game, and when they switched sides, he saw his boyfriend watching, but his determined look didn't change. If anything, it only grew more focused and he used Sanada’s own FuuRinKaInZanRai against him. Over the years, his grip had improved and grown strong enough to successfully use Ka. In, what felt like the blink of an eye, the score was 5-4.

Akaya had managed to turn the game around, and now there was no telling who would come out on top. Hiyoshi could feel the excitement growing as he watched his boyfriend play with everything he had and itched for own his racket, even if he knew he didn’t stand a chance. When Akaya passed by, he couldn’t tell if he even noticed him, neither of them said a word. He hoped his boyfriend knew how amazing he looked, so focused like that. It had been a long time since he’d been so attentive to a game.

Sanada’s posture changed as Akaya caught up and his features became more determined. He had never dropped more than 3 games to Akaya before and he didn't like it at all. So far he'd only used Fuu, Rin, Ka and In, but now he could tell it was time for Rai. If they went to tie break, he understood he would have to unseal the newest addition and he didn't want that. That was to be saved for his matches against Yukimura.

Akaya’s eyes sparked with excitement, he'd improved. Finally, he'd taken 4 games from Sanada. It was something he used to dream about, and now he just needed 3 more. Three more and he would have defeated his first demon, and the second strongest one at that. He would have taken down his mentor... his first love... all with Hiyoshi watching. If he won, would Hiyoshi stay?

Eyes red and determined, he hit the ball across the net. The next thing he knew, Sanada was calling out the score in his favor. His eyes went wide. Rai. Sanada had never used Rai against him before. Sanada had left for America before he'd ever had the chance. Akaya cursed and got ready because he knew it would be coming again. He looked at Sanada’s face and frowned, his eyes were hidden by the hat, but he could feel the demonic aura radiating off of him. No... Sanada wouldn't let him win. He never would. He yelled as he hit the ball and kept his eyes focused. He didn't have the 'Tezuka Phantom' or whatever the hell it was. He couldn't break Rai yet, and in a matter of minutes, the set was over. 6-4... Sanada’s victory.

Sanada walked to the net and held out his hand to shake Akaya’s, whose eyes were covered by his hair. "You played well, Akaya," he said quietly, "You're almost there." He let go of his kohai’s hand and walked past where Hiyoshi was holding onto the fence. "Don't hurt him anymore," he said quietly to Hiyoshi, not looking at him before continuing on to the locker room.

Akaya faded out of demon mode after those words and sat down on the court, his knees pulled up to his chest and his face hidden against them.

The brat had lost the game, but he had not lost Hiyoshi’s respect in the slightest. That was the best he’d ever seen him play, and would have told him so, except Sanada’s words stopped him in his tracks. Don’t hurt him anymore? Hiyoshi’s eye’s widened in confusion. The word ‘anymore’ gave the impression that he hurt him often. Did he really hurt Akaya? Worried, he made his way onto the court and slowly sat down next to where Akaya was huddled on the ground. He sat close to him but not quite touching, not sure what Akaya wanted right now. “Gekokujou,” he whispered quietly. Akaya had been so close to doing just that. “Good game.”

Akaya smiled a little against his legs and uncurled from his little ball to hug Hiyoshi. He was sweaty and smelly but he didn't care. "Don't move, Wakashi, please," he said quietly and held onto his boyfriend like he was the only thing keeping him sane, which in some ways, he really was. "I don't want you to leave me..."

That was all this was about? Hiyoshi held Akaya back against him and tried to think of the best way to respond to that. The answer was surprisingly simple. “Okay.” He wasn’t going to go into how he wouldn’t have been leaving him. They would have basically just been staying at each other’s places all the time like before.

"I like you living with me all the time. It's… it's really nice to come home and have you there, or to wait for you to come home... and... and if you move... then... your stuff won’t be there anymore... and... It’ll feel like you’re gone..." Akaya mumbled quietly and kept a tight hold on his lover because he didn't want him to see his face. He wanted to stay hidden behind his dark curls.

Hiyoshi nodded, understanding since he’d thought of those same things, but had been too paranoid about infringing on Akaya’s private space to bring it up. He swept Akaya’s sweaty hair out of his eyes and took hold of his chin. He met resistance, but forced him to look him in the eye. “You should have just said so in the first place, idiot.” He rolled his eyes then leaned forward to kiss him.

Akaya purred quietly into the kiss and smiled. "I love you, Wakashi," he said softly as he pulled away from the kiss, "a lot." He smiled wider.

Hiyoshi chuckled and mumbled a quiet “Me, too” in his ear. They were still outside in public, even if no one else was around. He sat back and contemplated a moment. “Maybe we should apply for a two-person room. That way we’ll have more space and it’ll be easier to fit all of our stuff. What do you think?” After he said it, he realized how… permanent it sounded, like he was formally asking Akaya to move in with him. He turned red and looked to the side, but didn’t try to take back his words.

Akaya’s eyes shot open wide and he smiled from ear to ear, looking happier than he had all day. "You mean it?!" he asked excitedly and tackled Hiyoshi, his arms around the other man’s head so he didn't hurt him. "I'll turn in the paperwork tonight!" he said happily and held his boyfriend in a vice like grip. "We're pushing the beds together though," he nodded, indicating his boyfriend had no choice in the matter.

Laughing as he was tackled onto the ground, Hiyoshi sighed in mock frustration and replied, “I guess, since I don’t seem to have a choice in the matter.” His fingers tangled with Akaya’s and he continued seriously, “but I’m doing the organizing, or else we’ll never find anything ever again.”

"Hey I always know where everything is!" Akaya pouted and kissed his boyfriend firmly to silence any argument he may have had.

If his mouth hadn’t currently been occupied with something much more engaging, Hiyoshi would have pointed out that even though Akaya might have his own organization system, it was not one that anyone else on the planet could figure out. But as it was, he smiled into the kiss and let his lips and tongue softly taste Akaya’s. He couldn’t help but let out a content sigh against Akaya’s always hungry and assertive lips, and if they hadn’t been outside on the school’s tennis court, things might have even progressed. He knew they needed to stop now though, and he would… in a moment.

Akaya kissed the other boy possessively and slid his hand up Hiyoshi’s thigh slowly, almost massaging the muscles as he went. This was something he had dreamed about for years, taking someone on a tennis court after a hard match. Of course, in the dream, the person didn't have a face. Well, for a while it was Sanada, but that faded with time. Now all he could see was Hiyoshi.

Hiyoshi tried to stop sound from escaping, but the hand on his thigh, slowly kneading, made his repressed moan sound like a small whimper. He clutched at Akaya’s arms and tried not to become overwhelmed. It was just that he tasted so magnificent after his match. He could never tell his boyfriend, but seeing him play like that… Looking so confident, powerful… and dangerous on the court was an incredible turn-on.

"Wakashi," Akaya purred and pressed down against his boyfriend, "Can we?" he mumbled and rubbed his hand against his boyfriend’s groin, showing him exactly what he wanted to do, as if the slight bulge in his pants wasn’t already an indication.

“Fuck… Akaya. We’re outside in public!” Shit. For some reason the idea of Akaya and him, on a tennis court… Green demon eyes looking down at him with obvious hunger and lust, skin flushed with perspiration, making his dark curls stick to his skin while the rest moved wildly in the wind. Hiyoshi couldn’t remember Akaya ever looking quite as sexy as he did at that moment. He was really, really tempted to just give in. He could feel his body protesting wildly to his conscience as it unconsciously pressed up against Akaya, but he would prove that he had more self control than this. Hoping he didn’t look as sappily love-struck as he pathetically felt at that moment, he covered Akaya’s hand with his own and moved it away from the ache between his legs. “There are better places… for this.”

The horny demon frowned and nuzzled his boyfriend’s neck. "Wakashi, please?" he asked softly and placed a soft kiss just under his ear. "I've never done it on a tennis court, and after a good match..." he moaned, "I want you so bad, please." He took Hiyoshi’s hand and placed it between his legs so his boyfriend could tell just how true that statement really was.

This time the moan did escape as Hiyoshi’s hand automatically stroked at Akaya’s very obvious erection through his pants. He still might have had the self control to say no, except… Akaya had never done it on a tennis court before? He’d been under the impression that nothing was left untouched by Akaya’s sexual escapades. He’d given up on being Akaya’s first in just about everything. “Never?” He couldn’t help being a little… Okay, a lot resentful of the fact that Akaya had been with so many before him.

Akaya let out a deep groan and his body quivered, the tone in Hiyoshi’s voice was intoxicating. "Never," he assured and rolled his hips down against his boyfriend’s, "I've always wanted to... Nn… god how I've wanted to..." He smirked and brushed his lips over Hiyoshi’s as he spoke. "You have no idea how many times I've dreamed of taking you on a court, in the middle of the day where anyone could see us." Okay, so maybe he had a bit of a kink for doing it in public places, but he couldn't help that the thought sent adrenaline rushing through him.

Well, it wasn’t quite the middle of the day, thank goodness. It was now early evening, and the sun was starting to set, casting shadows over them. Perhaps that would cover at least a little… But Hiyoshi knew, even if it was plain as day, he wouldn’t have been able to say no after that. He gave him one last horrible sappy look then reluctantly turning around and presented his back to him. It would be easier and faster this way. “Then what are you waiting for?”

Akaya was pretty sure his heart stopped at that. Every time he thought he'd just seen the hottest thing in the world, something else happened that took his breath away. He slipped Hiyoshi’s shirt up and worked on getting his boyfriend’s pants off with a smirk. It was amazing how wrapped around Hiyoshi’s finger he really was.

After they were well involved in their activities, Sanada walked out of the club room and glanced down at the courts where he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He would wish for weeks that he hadn't looked, but it was too late. The image was burned into his mind and would haunt his dreams for quite a while.

Hiyoshi would be lying if he said there wasn’t a little extra added thrill that came along with doing it outside with the chance of being caught, but even that was the furthest thing from his mind once he was sated and lying face down on the tennis court with Akaya collapsed on top of him. Damn… the way Akaya could make him feel. It made him forget about everything else and focus his entire world on just this one incorrigible idiotic selfish brat that he was becoming more and more aware that he couldn’t do without.

"It was better than in my dream," Akaya mumbled sleepily as he lay panting and sweaty on top of Hiyoshi, still inside him as the court lights flickered on and the sky grew darker. He knew they should get up and dressed before anyone actually showed up, but he couldn't bring himself to do it just yet, he was too damn comfortable right where he was.

The hard cement beneath the mushroom-headed boy was becoming more than a little uncomfortable, but his body didn’t seem to care as it was still recovering from the pleasurable blow it had just been dealt. Eyes still a bit glazed and feeling sluggish, he raised a hand to Akaya’s head, which was comfortably lying on the back of his shoulder, and turned his head to kiss him lazily. “Hmm… let’s go home.”

"Mmm... kay" Akaya mumbled and slowly pulled out of his boyfriend, only to flip over to his back and look up at the sky for a minute. He’d been tired before, but now he was just flat out exhausted.

This was the part Hiyoshi hated. He was a mess. He cleaned himself off the best he could with his shirt and stole Akaya’s, putting it on since he had more evidence to cover. Trying not to think about it and ignoring the soreness, he pulled his pants back up. Although sweaty and looking worn out, Akaya looked relatively clean. He idly ran his hand through Akaya’s hair. What he really wanted to do was go home and cuddle with his boyfriend for a while, but he would never say something so girly out loud. Instead, he got Akaya’s attention by adding a bit more pressure to his combing, and gave him a serious look, hopefully relaying his discomfort.

Akaya looked up at Hiyoshi and smiled, and as the pressure of the pet increased and the other man’s face got more serious, he sat up and pulled his pants up all the way. He looked around for his shirt and found his boyfriend wearing it. He didn't care in the slightest since he didn't mind showing off a bit, so instead of commenting, he just stood and offered his boyfriend a helping hand up. "Come on, let’s go home and get some rest," he said with a big child-like smile.

Hiyoshi took the offered hand and let himself be helped up. He didn’t usually appreciate gestures like that, but Akaya was the exception to a lot of things. He tried to not to feel too self conscious as they made their way through campus back towards the dorms, facing forward to avoid any eye contact. However, Akaya was adamant about stopping by the housing office first to fill out a request form for a double.

The lady at the desk gave Akaya the weirdest look when he walked in shirtless and sweaty with a tennis bag over his shoulder, grinning like a mad man, but she was smart enough (or scared enough) not to comment. It was almost too good to be true, he was going to room officially with Hiyoshi. It felt so permanent and he loved it.

Hiyoshi rolled his eyes and felt a little bad for the woman behind the counter. He filled out the paperwork as quickly as possible and had Akaya sign his name along with his at the bottom. He then turned and pulled the crazily smiling demon with him out of the building. He wondered for a moment how legitimately insane he must be for having signed that document so easily and without a second thought, but found he didn’t care.

The smiling demon allowed himself to be shuffled out of the office after filling out the paperwork and held Hiyoshi’s hand as they walked back toward his… no, their room. Life was good.