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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
- 76
- 77
- 78
Learning to Land. Chapter Seventy Seven ~Oshitari~

Warnings: Yaoi, Love, Angst, Fluff, and Lots of Sex. Some kink. You've been warned ;)

Disclaimer: Nope not mine. Still in my dreams. ;)

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Gakuto sighed and shifted position. His leg which had stilled while he was talking except during the sex parts started moving furiously. He put his fingers back in his own mouth and said looking down, "That...didn't work out so good..." He was quiet for several minutes and seemed upset.

Gently, Yuushi took Gakuto's fingers out of his mouth, and put them still wet into his own again. He ran his tongue over the tips as Gakuto had shown him, and was rewarded by the little redhead giving him a small smile. Gakuto explained the pause, "Don't know where to start..."

The tensai thought of making a quip that one should always start at the beginning or some other such joke, but decided to hold his tongue. Or rather he decided to move his tongue on Gakuto's fingers. He noticed his roommate watching him as if waiting for the tensai to make a joke, and Yuushi smiled around his fingertips because he didn't have one ready. Gakuto's smile increased slightly. It appeared as if the little redhead was giving him time to make a pun but was pleased he didn't.

Gakuto looked at him guardedly, "Remember when we met? That day?" Yuushi nodded and didn't point out the obvious as the little redhead would have--loudly and annoyed, Gakuto would have said of course he remembered--he was there.

Gakuto paused as if waiting for a joke again. When none came, he went on. "You probably know some of this, but I don't know how much because you got here late."

"I was only delayed one day..." Yuushi felt compelled to defend this. He had been late arriving at Hyoutei in the beginning due to his last pathetic failed attempt to not have to leave home. As it was, Yuushi arrived a day late with only about an hour to bring all of his belongings to his room and be on time for his first tennis practice. He had always felt that arriving at school late had cost him socially because by then everyone was paired up and cliqued off--except him.

"No you were later than that. I guess you don't know. Atobe somehow through the school invited us all out to his house in the country to train two weeks before. House--ha--it was another one of his damn mansions! Not the one all of us went to last summer before this year, a different one. And it wasn't an invitation or a request it was an order, but he made it sound like it was gonna be fun and not damn bootcamp! We were all pissed off to begin with because it meant we all only got a few days off for summer, but everyone invited was going. Then there was some problem he said on the tennis courts at his mansion--I have no idea what was wrong, none of us noticed anything, but Atobe said they weren't perfect so every day he bussed all of us over an hour to and from Hyoutei. Atobe paid for everything."

Gakuto widened his eyes dramatically to show Yuushi how huge a deal this was for him and the others, "There were twelve of us the first week. All of us were gonna be freshmen and most of us knew each other from Hyoutei grade school. It was me, Taki, Shishido, Jiroh, Chikabayashi, Kaida, Kashiwa, and Damio, Wajata, Wazaki, and Ohazama. The second week the last four were dropped and sent home, and because of the courts still being screwed up the rest of us were moved to his mansion near school. Atobe hired professional trainers to work with each of us. Hell, he had a gymnastics instructor and equipment brought in just for me--why do you think I wanted to go so bad? But it was hell. We worked our asses off all day and then were pampered and massaged by these other sports therapists every night. The entire time Atobe was all pumped up about you coming and told us he had his singles two player locked already. He said you were an unbeatable tensai coming all the way from Kansai. He said his father pulled strings to get you to come here as a favor to him."

It was more of a question than a statement. Yuushi considered the validity of the question. He knew his father had attended Hyoutei, so even though his father never played tennis or mentioned the man, guessing by his father and Atobe's father's age, they most likely did know each other from school. Yuushi knew his father was handsome and popular in school, and Atobe's father was captain of the tennis club his senior year when they won nationals, so the elder Atobe was also probably popular.

Yuushi's parent's firm decision to send him Hyoutei had been a sudden one that to him at the time had seemed almost random. It was most likely the right offer arriving at the right time for his parents who were sick of the scandal, although Yuushi up until then had always wondered why his parents suddenly sent him away again. After all, with his tutor dead, it was not as if anything new was going to happen. Perhaps, as he had always mused, Yuushi's parents were just worried about his future actions. He doubted they trusted or believed in him, and it was surely easier for them to relocate him than make an effort on their part. "I...am not certain. Three weeks before school here began, my father informed me I was going to be a student here. I did not want to go and...in fact protested, but there was no changing his mind. I've never heard any of what you're telling me."

Gakuto shrugged, "I thought you knew. At least some of it. Anyway Atobe talked constantly about you and how good you were. Everyone knew that the four dropped were gonna just be in the common tennis club, and the ones of us who were left at the end were gonna be special. The last three days while the construction crew was still building the new clubhouse, we all played each other and the coach came by to watch. It felt as if we were tested on what we'd learned. We knew we were good, but we had no idea how much better we were until everyone else showed up for practice."

"The fighting for sub-regulars started the first real practice day, and it was a straight-out brawl. I musta been challenged by 6 guys that day and maybe more.All of Atobe's favorites were, and we knew we were fighting for placement, so figure how everyone felt when you finally showed up. The tensai freshman flown in special who was supposed to be singles two from the start. The seniors had already joked that they were gonna beat the hell out of you and break your arms or legs. Hell, they were really gonna do that to Atobe and the rest of us. It was only because the Captain protected Atobe that they didn't beat the crap outta him. The rest of us were kinda on our own until Atobe was named Vice-Captain officially. I know what the hell does you showing up late have to do with my first time with a guy, right?" Gakuto sighed, "Because, in a way, you kinda saved me."

Yuushi was confused and must have frowned in thought. Gakuto took his fingers out of Yuushi's mouth and touched the bottom of the tensai's chin with his wet fingertips. He smiled, "You only get this dimple on your chin when you make that face. You'll scare little kids if your face gets stuck that way." Gakuto did his very much exaggerated Yuushi's frowning face look which as always made the tensai smile.

Gakuto smiled more and then his smile faded, "There were other Hyoutei clubs who were also at school early for practice. Including the kendo club. Taki and I were running together and a couple of seniors from the tennis club started bothering us. We were running the grounds and in the middle of nowhere, over by the old church and these guys were big, you remember Jomen, Zennoya, Fudaki, and Masadome? Them."

Yuushi did. They were bullies, and the common freshmen tennis club members had often paired up even walking around together to protect themselves. It was not something any of them had to worry about when they became sub-regulars, but until then the tensai can only imagine what a tempting target the smaller Taki and Gakuto made. All the more because these seniors probably figured Atobe was an upstart and hurting these two would hurt Atobe directly if they couldn't touch Atobe by the Captain's orders.

The little redhead looked away, "Some kendo club members showed up and started running with us. I thought they were going to join in with the seniors and that we were dead, but these guys were bigger and told the tennis guys to leave us the hell alone. That's the only way Taki and I made it through that time before you came. Everyone was getting into fights left and right. Two guys attacked Shishido that first night, that's why he had a black eye when you met him. They tried to jump him, but Shishido beat the hell outta them. After they knew he could fight even for a pretty boy, everyone left Shishido alone. Chikabayashi protected Jiroh who slept through most of it and probably didn't even notice, and Kaida and Kashiwa stuck together so they were safe. You took care of yourself after that first day."

The tensai felt guilty. He had been so wrapped up in his own life and pain that he hadn't even noticed. When any seniors had challenged him, he either cut the tension with jokes or immediately challenged and defeated them in a tennis match. After the first week, most people left him alone. It was only when he started dating people that Yuushi didn't feel so isolated. Again, he had been so wrapped up in dating that he never really noticed what went on all around him. Gakuto could have been hurt and he wouldn't have even known until after. It was a troubling thought.

"Atobe warned us this probably would happen, and it's the only time I ever saw him feel bad or say sorry to anyone. He apologized to us about not being able to protect all of us better, but told us that if we made it through those first weeks, he would never forget it and would always protect us. Like even through high school and university and forever. Atobe meant and you know how he is when he really promises you something. And all of us, we knew this was something big. We could feel it. We believed Atobe. Believed in him. Even Shishido, though he probably would never admit it." Gakuto rolled his eyes as he usually did when he was making fun of Shishido's moods. He suddenly said, "I'm thirsty."

Yuushi smiled and automatically went to go get something for him. He made the hand gesture for how much and Gakuto nodded at their sign for the biggest one. "Sweet?" the tensai asked and was surprised when Gakuto shrugged. Yuushi figured his food must have had a lot of salt in it. Gakuto had a very high metabolism and as such was very susceptible to even minute dietary changes. The tensai had been supplementing the drinks he had been bringing Gakuto, as he had been doing for himself for years. He had nothing on hand, not even vitamin or mineral supplements, and made a mental note to be more prepared the next time they traveled even if it was sudden. Going to the mini-bar in the next room, the tensai quickly mixed several juices, a bottled tea, and a water, adjusting the taste until it was within the sweet range Gakuto seemed to find palatable but not so sweet that he would still be thirsty. He poured the mixture into a glass and returned.

Gakuto drained half the large glass in one gulp, not tasting a thing. "Thanks," he said in almost a gasp. He held the glass out to the tensai who was touched at the offer when it was clear Gakuto wanted to down the rest of it and then drink perhaps more.

Yuushi shook his head no, "Is it all right?"

The little redhead finished off the rest of the glass and even licked around the rim. "Yeah, real good. I don't want more right now," Gakuto added before Yuushi could offer.

The tensai took the glass from him and set it on one of the nightstands. Yuushi climbed back into bed and suddenly felt awkward. The two of them had been laying all sprawled out but very closely together, and he was unsure how to get that close again without annoying or smothering Gakuto. Yuushi lay down on his side again and faced him, but did not touch him.

"I wanna..." Gakuto hopped up and out of bed in a flash. He threw the remains of the robe off himself and ran into the bathroom. The tensai figured he needed to use the toilet. He was very surprised when a completely gorgeous and naked Gakuto walked back into the room slowly. Yuushi was looking--actually staring, at Gakuto's body. In fact he was so taken away with the sight of the gorgeous redhead that he didn't figure out what Gakuto was doing until the lights in the room went out. The room was plunged into darkness except for Gakuto. In his hands, Gakuto carried two of the strawberry scented candles in jars they had left burning in their bathroom. He set one on his nightstand, and handed Yuushi the other with a gesture that the tensai should set it down on the one on his side.

As the tensai turned away to set the candle down, he felt Gakuto climbing into bed, and before he could turn back, Gakuto was practically on top of him, snuggling down. Yuushi must have looked surprised at the sudden affection because Gakuto asked looking wary, "Okay?"

Yuushi nodded, "Much better." He did not just mean the candles, although they and their relaxing scent also helped the mood, but best of all, Gakuto was in his arms by his own choice.

"Hey Yuushi? I know when I met you I was really a bastard and all, but it really was kinda like how I was with Ohtori. You weren't at all what any of us expected. After hearing about you all week, we all thought you would be like an Atobe clone or something. Hell, even Atobe did. When he saw you, he kinda turned away and I knew he was gonna leave you out on your own to find you own way. If you had gotten in trouble he wasn't gonna stick his neck out for you. He couldn't help us and hell, Atobe needed us to secure his position. You were all alone and musta had no clue how anything here worked."

Yuushi was surprised. Most people would never put together what Atobe had done and why, but Gakuto clearly had and even gone further than even the tensai in his reasoning this out. He mentioned how smart of Gakuto that was and the redhead smiled.

Gakuto said, "I didn't get it then, but I do now. Atobe woulda never made Vice-Captain as a freshman on his own even though he's good. We were his opportunity. He basically showed up the beginning of the year with a tennis team able to defeat all the regulars, all the seniors even, and that is what got him his place and power. And anyone Atobe thought couldn't cut it, he wasn't gonna stick his neck out for. I figured that part out around then but didn't care that he was using us because he gonna give us back a lot in return. When you showed up all green and clueless, you had no idea you were walking into a baited trap both from the seniors looking for an outlet to vent their frustrations on and from us. Atobe had threatened us with how good you were everyday while we trained. Even if we could beat each other, no one could really beat Atobe and he made it seem that no one could beat you."

Yuushi felt dismayed and it toned his voice, "And then I showed up completely stupid and strange. I should have just painted a bull's eye on my back so everyone could target me and get it over with. In fact, Atobe should have just told me to wear...what?" Yuushi was going to go on joking but Gakuto was clearly upset for some odd reason.

"I'm really sorry Yuushi. I coulda done it a million different ways and I shoulda." Gakuto was almost in tears.

"What? How you talked to me? Nonsense. You did what you had to do just like, as you said, you did with Ohtori. I could have also done a lot to notice my surroundings and made some effort to fit in. I was probably doing everything I could to be as miserable as possible so that perhaps I could go home--although I knew the entire time my going home was not going to happen. My parents were not going to change their minds. I was just being childish and stupid, and you kindly helped me. You didn't even know me and you helped me. If you didn't say anything, can you imagine how bad my hazing would have been? Or worse?"

"No. You don't understand! I didn't do it differently not because I was being a good guy but because I was into being a bastard at the moment. I thought I was secure and set. You don't understand what I mean, but I'm getting to it." Gakuto sighed.

"Look, lemme back up a while before. When Taki and I were running and those kendo guys saved us, we started hanging out with them. They were all seniors except for this one guy who was a junior. The junior and I started becoming really good friends. He really liked all of my jokes, and even though I went to Hyoutei grade school and played tennis in grade school, I didn't live here. I didn't really know a lot of places around school.My Mom used to drive me to and from school all the way here and back every day. He and I were together and hung out whenever we could in between tennis practice and he showed me around. We went to the movies, we went out to eat, we went to the arcade, we did lots of things. He showed me kendo or tried to, and I showed him the gymnastics stuff I can do. It was just kinda nice, but I didn't think anything more than he was becoming my good friend. We talked about stuff but it was nothing deep, I mean I wasn't gonna tell him what happened to me or anything."

"Taki and I were good friends from bootcamp. My roommate at the time was all pissed off that I was part of Atobe's group so he was being a bastard to me. He did shitty things like I think he pissed on my bed and remade it because it smelled. And some of my clothes were cut up or missing so I had to carry my tennis things around with me everywhere, and he threw out or ate my food. I had to move in with Taki for a while because his roommate was in the tennis club too and he was pulling the same kind of crap. We made Taki's roommate move to live with my shitty roommate, but it was only because the kendo club junior and his friends made them that they did. The junior guy even offered to let me move in with him, but he had a single and it woulda looked weird me moving in with a junior in a different club so I said no."

Gakuto's leg had been jiggling and Yuushi adjusted to a different position so it didn't shake him up so much. The little redhead sheepishly grinned and said, "Sorry. Forget I do that." Surprising Yuushi, he reached his lips up and kissed the tensai softly. It seemed to Yuushi as if Gakuto needed reassurance that the tensai was still there and still interested in him.

Yuushi found he was lividly jealous. He was often jealous of whoever Gakuto dated or was interested in. That he was jealous did not surprise him, but how deeply jealous Yuushi was did. He responded to Gakuto's light kiss passionately, which seemed to surprise the both of them. Yuushi parted Gakuto's lips gently but insistently with his tongue and held him close while kissing him deeply. He remembered Gakuto was naked and in his arms only a second after his hands were already instinctively sliding over the redhead's tennis tanned skin. They kissed and touched each other for several minutes, and the tensai wondered who was reassuring whom because it felt as if they both mutually needed it. Yuushi marveled at how Gakuto somehow must have know he needed this, and he wondered what it was that Gakuto at this moment truly needed. He wasn't sure if Gakuto needed his acceptance, understanding, or just to confess whatever was bothering him to someone.

Gakuto pulled back from the kiss. They were both breathing faster, and Gakuto looked at Yuushi as if checking to see if he needed to kiss and be reassured more. Yuushi was touched, and after he considered it a second--he was amazed. Gakuto knew him very well. He knew how to push Yuushi's buttons and how to handle him unlike anyone else. Yuushi decided to continue finding out what it was Gakuto needed by giving him what he was looking for. Yuushi smiled and relaxed as if he no longer felt jealous. The tensai reasoned that there was nothing from the past to really feel jealous about because all this had already happened. It was the past, and Gakuto was with him clearly by choice. At least for now.

After another long look, Gakuto smiled back at him as if pleased he had done his job well. Yuushi kissed him once more softly because he could, although he wanted to just kiss and hold him. The tensai wondered if he wasn't as nervous to hear this as Gakuto seemed to be to tell it. He knew it wouldn't change the way he felt about Gakuto, but it intruded on their hard-won almost peaceful night.

Gakuto got that crease in his brow he sometimes had when he lost his train of thought and was annoyed at himself. Occasionally he would be so worked up over something he was rambling on about or get sidetracked during a joke that he would forget what he was originally saying even while he was in the middle of a sentence. As was their way, Gakuto automatically looked at Yuushi and asked to be reminded of what it was he had been saying. The first time it happened Yuushi didn't think anything of it; the tensai merely answered as if Gakuto had asked him the time or date. The tenth time, Yuushi realized that Gakuto always asked him and only him--no one else. If Gakuto was talking to others and Yuushi's attention was directed elsewhere the little redhead would falter his words or change subjects often laughing and cursing at himself for forgetting what he was saying. This little habit meant the world to Yuushi, and had for a long time. He looked at Yuushi and asked, "I was saying...?"

Jealous, although now trying to appear as if he was not, Yuushi reminded him, "You were spending all of your free time with this junior and he had offered to let you move in with him."

"Oh. Right. Anyway, he and I were really getting close. He even invited me home with him before school started, but then a few days before you came, he said he couldn't be my friend anymore. He said he was sorry, but it was just too hard." Gakuto looked upset and Yuushi had to fight his urge to take him in his arms and love any pain away. "He said he couldn't be my friend because he liked me too much, and when I said I didn't understand, he kissed me."

Gakuto shook his head, "He just suddenly pulled me to him, kissed me hard, let me go, and walked away. I didn't...I didn't have time to even react and he was gone. I thought it was a joke at first. He didn't answer his phone and when I emailed him it was bounced back to me. I went to his friends to try to talk to them, but they weren't talking to me either. It was kinda like I did something wrong, but I didn't do anything wrong. I was upset and confused, and at first really angry because he did this, but then I felt guilty and thought I dunno, maybe I had done something wrong. I was upset and the only one I could talk to was Taki. I didn't say anything to him at first because who the hell wants to admit that to a guy friend, but I kinda had to. You see all of a sudden, we weren't protected anymore."

Gakuto's lips grew hard into a thin grim line, "And somehow, either the tennis club seniors heard about it or sensed something was different, but because Taki and I suddenly were no longer protected I had to talk to him about it. Taki was like, 'What the hell did you do?' and I was all 'I didn't do anything!'"

Gakuto sighed, "Of course, he didn't believe me. Taki went and tried to talk to them but they wouldn't talk to him either. All they told him was to talk to me so he did. Bastard believed them and kept asking me over and over again what I did to screw things up. You know how Taki is. Finally I told him that the junior kissed me, and Taki was furious--at me! He told me I shoulda kissed the guy back and played along until we were sub-regs because now we were in deep shit with no one to help us and it was all my fault. I yelled at him and asked him exactly what the hell he meant by I shoulda played along. Taki laughed at me. He told me guys at Hyoutei have been dating and doing other guys for years but he said apparently I was too stupid to notice. I asked Taki if he was gay or what and he said all snobby, you know how he can be all uppity like that when he feels superior, anyway he said that most people on the planet are bi-sexual and I should get a grip. He told me I coulda strung the junior along like I would with a girl who had concert tickets with good seats or was throwing a good party and then I coulda said to the guy that I changed my mind once we were safe, and no one woulda said anything. In fact, Taki told me I oughta find a way to go talk to him and do this or we were as good as dead."

Yuushi noticed the whole thing with Taki must still be upsetting Gakuto because he had been shaking his leg at a furious pace while he told it, but now it suddenly stopped. Gakuto shook his head and looked away. "I thought about doing what Taki told me to Yuushi, but I realized I couldn't. It wouldn't be fair to the guy. Even though both me and Taki were in serious trouble, I wasn't the kinda guy to use someone." Gakuto shook his head no again, "At least not when I really liked someone. Or thought I might really like them." Gakuto turned to Yuushi, "I kinda liked him and had no one to talk to. I missed him. I was confused. And I was really scared."

Before he remembered to censored himself, Yuushi had already pulled Gakuto closer to him to comfort him. The tensai mentally cursed himself for his instincts when he logically knew he should be holding back and allowing Gakuto to get close to him only if he chose to. Yuushi knew he should be giving Gakuto space, and he worried that the little redhead now would push him away, but all Gakuto did was wiggle closer to Yuushi and hold him back tighter too. The tensai realized that Gakuto needed the comfort even as he worried that the once sated, Gakuto moving closer to him would be a fleeting thing.

Just as Gakuto in the past when they were in a crowd would be cold and sit closer to the tensai only to spring out of Yuushi's reach once he was warmed up, if Gakuto felt better, perhaps he would push Yuushi away without looking back.

And yet, even as Yuushi worried over this and tried to caution himself to hold back, he found himself asking, "You were scared that you and Taki were in danger, or you were afraid because you realized you perhaps had feelings for another male after what happened to you?" Yuushi only barely suppressed his urge to kiss and comfort him until Gakuto stopped reminiscing over whatever was bothering him. The tensai fought his urges to comfort and pleasure him, until his distress was gone.

Gakuto smiled slightly against his arm and turned his face up for a kiss. The tensai wondered not for the first time if Gakuto had any idea how difficult it was for the tensai to hold back, or if perhaps the little redhead was capable of reading Yuushi's mind. Yuushi went to kiss him chastely, but Gakuto cleverly pushed his tongue past the tensai's parted lips and teeth, deeply kissing him. His arms slid around Yuushi's neck and pulled them even closer together as his legs wrapped around the tensai's waist. Their tongues touched and slid against each other and Yuushi thought again about how skilled at kissing Gakuto was. The tensai knew that if he took control, Gakuto would automatically yield. Not like a girl would yield either.

Most girls the tensai had kissed weren't submissive so much as passive. They would just lay there, but Gakuto on the other hand instead submitted. He trustingly would relax his entire body in anticipation of Yuushi completely pleasuring him, and yet he was defiant in playful, teasing ways with his lips, tongue, and even sometimes nipping with his teeth. He would occasionally bite Yuushi in little stinging teases that drove the tensai almost mad with lust. Yuushi was just thinking how much he enjoyed the sharp surprise of Gakuto's teeth on occasion when the little redhead dragged his teeth softly over Yuushi's tongue and nipped at the tensai's lower lip as he broke the hot kiss. "Don't be jealous..." Gakuto said and then smiled because he didn't call Yuushi stupid.

Yuushi smiled back, "It would be nice if you not only didn't say it, but if you also didn't think it."

Gakuto laughed in a nice, sexy way. Yuushi felt his stomach turn to liquid fire just to hear it after the slow, hot kiss. "Take what you can get and don't be greedy. Even if I think stupid, you know I don't mean it. You're the smartest guy I've ever met, and not just about school crap either. You see? Like what woulda scared me back then, my liking another guy after what happened to me, you just understand it. You get things I tell you that other people would never understand without me having to explain it to them over and over."

Yuushi smiled slightly at the complement, "For any male discovering he was attracted to another male the first time would be upsetting, but with your past, it must have been very stressful for you. Were you able to discuss any of this with anyone? Perhaps with Taki?"

Gakuto pouted, "Kinda, but not really. He didn't understand like you. He's liked both guys and girls for as long as I've known him. At first, when we were younger, when he said out loud how cute a guy was, Taki used to cover it by saying it was because he wished he looked like that, but after a while I figured it out. For Tak, it wasn't a big deal to like a guy and lying to some guy to save your ass was even less of a big deal. Tak used to get bullied and beat up in grade school a lot. First time I saw Taki was the day I transferred to Hyoutei. My first day and he was being beat up until Shishido stood up to the bullies and beat them back. Now I used to go to a tough school in a rough neighborhood, but I didn't remember any of that. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. These two girls in my class, twins both kinda liked me that first day. Their parents didn't want them to live at Hyoutei and sent them to an all girls school so you never met them, but they said I was cute and showed me around and all. They told me it used to happen to Taki every day and went on for as long as it took until someone got sick of it and stopped it or until Taki got bloodied bad enough that a teacher noticed and stepped in. I got upset. Like really upset. I went to the bathroom and got sick, and ended up in the nurse's office. He said it was first day nerves and I waited there the rest of the afternoon for my Mom to come and pick me up."

Yuushi found he had his arms around Gakuto tighter to comfort him, "It's only natural that you would be upset seeing that after what happened to you."

Gakuto looked at Yuushi shocked. And stricken as if Yuushi said something horrible, but the tensai had no idea what. In the same way when he covered up after lying about something, Gakuto's face quickly went blank and he rapidly spoke, "I can't remember anything that happened to me or anything before, remember?"

The tensai was confused and put Gakuto's alarm and distress to the back of his mind to ponder later. His immediate move was to soothe and placate obviously frazzled nerves. Softly Yuushi said, "Of course I remember. I think it's really a blessing you cannot remember what happened either. All I meant was by then surely you had been told what had happened to you, so seeing violence so soon after recovering must have been difficult for you."

Happily Gakuto visibly relaxed and looked relieved, "Yeah. That's it. That's it exactly. I was upset and told my Dad because I knew if I told my Mom she woulda flipped out and wouldn't let me go back to school. My Dad told me that there are always gonna be bullies and boys bigger than me and people I knew, and that I should learn how to handle it now because if I looked for a school without any bullies I'd never go to school. And I wanted to go to school after all those months off. I'd worked really hard to go to back. My Dad said sometimes saying the right thing--the right kinda joke for example, can diffuse an entire situation, and to give Hyoutei at least two weeks. So I did." Gakuto shrugged.

"What did you do?" Yuushi asked knowing that anything Gakuto dismissed so off-handedly hid a mountain of work and effort.

"Not much. I read some joke books and the next time I saw Taki getting bullied I walked up and started cracking ones I remembered. I made fun of everyone, Taki and the guys pushing him around too. At first Taki was mad but after I pointed out to him that because of me no one kicked his ass that day, he kinda was cool with it. We weren't really friends or anything at first. I didn't really see him much because I was in class 3 and he was in class 5 that year but I made a lotta friends. Even the bullies liked me." Gakuto shrugged again.

Yuushi was intrigued and wanted to hear about all of his schoolmates from Gakuto's perspective, however he realized Gakuto had skillfully manipulated the conversation away from the original subject. Trying to not let any jealousy seep into his voice, Yuushi asked, "So what did you do after you realized that you might have feelings for your senpai? He was your first, wasn't he?" The tensai tried not to let any jealousy show, after all he reasoned to himself he was quite used to hiding his usual jealousy. Yuushi tried, but he failed miserably. He quickly surmised that perhaps he failed because this first thing would have really mattered to the little beloved redhead in his arms.

Surprisingly, Gakuto smiled and kissed him, "Told ya not to be jealous..."

Yuushi went at first to defend himself, but then suddenly his brain kicked in and he understood what Gakuto was actually saying. That Yuushi shouldn't be jealous because he was with Gakuto now. It was a very important declaration to the tensai, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Yuushi mentally kicked himself over this and over the fact that once again, Gakuto was sharing information of his own free will. This seemed to matter quite a bit to the little redhead, and Yuushi wasn't being sensitive enough to Gakuto's current needs. Instead of holding him close, Yuushi played with Gakuto's hair, smoothing the shiny red strands down in the front of his forehead into a centered point and admiring to himself how sexy it looked on his roommate. "I am jealous, but I am always jealous of anyone even showing an interest in you. I have been for a long time. I'm sorry, and I would like to hear the rest, please continue."

Gakuto cocked his head to the side slightly as if puzzled, "You get jealous?" He shrugged. "Never act like you're jealous. Since when?"

"Since I realized I had feelings for you." Yuushi felt his lip curl up in a smirk that Gakuto liked to joke as the tensai's Elvis look. He thought of making a joke but decided to be serious because it looked like Gakuto wanted more clarification as to the time line of the tensai's emotions. "I realized I had feelings for you the only night Atobe and I fooled around. I've been jealous of whoever has liked you or you've liked since. I'm probably good at hiding it from most people, but I doubt that I can hide it from you." Gakuto's jaw dropped open because it had been quite some time ago. Yuushi felt his face flush and saw the little redhead had a sudden thousand questions for him, but this wasn't the time for the tensai to talk. Gakuto had things to get off his beautiful chest first, "I will be happy to answer any questions you wish to pose to me, after you finish your story."

Immediately, Gakuto went into bargaining mode, "You'll answer any questions I ask you? You'll tell me whatever I wanna know?"

Yuushi nodded and wondered what Gakuto had questions over. He had told Gakuto the basics of what happened. Was the little redhead still fascinated by Atobe Keigo? The tensai held back another surge of jealousy. "Still need Atobe's information? I thought I told you everything, and though you know I don't like to kiss and tell, I promise if you really want to know and if it won't go any further than the two of us, I will tell you anything you wish to know."

Gakuto looked at him as if in surprise, "Kiss and tell? But you just said you fooled around with him. Did you just kiss him or what?"

Yuushi suddenly got it. He just couldn't believe it. Could it be...Gakuto was jealous of what he did with Atobe? Yuushi quickly told him what happened with Atobe that night quickly and graphically, but unemotionally. He was amazed as he flatly stated he kissed a seemingly drunken Atobe at how livid Gakuto became. His beautiful lips pressed into a thin almost white line, and his hands which had been moving softly on Yuushi's back stopped their soft caress when the tensai coldly said he went down on their Vice-Captain but made Atobe come with his hand rather quickly. Before Gakuto got any angrier and possibly stormed off, Yuushi said, "Now would you like to know what I was thinking and feeling? Regardless for my feelings of friendship and admiration for Atobe, he and I are not sexually compatible at all. Truth be told, Atobe is unskilled. Especially at kissing. At first I thought it was because he was intoxicated, but then I soon realized he was just completely lost, although perhaps he has improved during his time with Jiroh and Shishido..."

"Shishido never kissed him," Gakuto interjected. "Don't tell but it's true. Shishido said he didn't like to kiss or something, but maybe Atobe just sucked at it." Gakuto seemed very pleased with his hypothesis, but the tensai wondered in the back of his mind if it truly wasn't a way that Shishido was rebelling just as he would go to dinner with Atobe, but then would sit there sulking as if he didn't want to be there. Yuushi also thought to himself he didn't even want to know how Gakuto obtained the information that Shishido never kissed Atobe. Truly.

"Well then, perhaps Atobe has improved with Jiroh. As I said, I wondered how he could be so poor at something so basic and I came up with two theories. One, Atobe is a narcissist and inherently selfish. It is doubtful he is very giving in bed, and two, while Atobe is sought after by man, anyone who Atobe favors with a kiss is so awed by him that they either do not notice, or are too afraid to complain. Surely if anyone did complain he would drop that person like a hot rock, and it would wind up being social suicide for them. Regardless, Gakuto, I thought even then that Atobe would make, at least for me, a lousy lover. While he is not unpleasant to look at, I am not interested nor am I attracted to him. He doesn't hold a candle to you my beloved, not physically nor in sexual prowess. You are exquisite. Even only kissing you takes my breath away. I am more turned on kissing and holding you for ten minutes than if I were to do the same with Atobe for ten hours."

"Ten hours! You messed around with him for ten hours?" Gakuto actually pouted and the tensai knew he was thinking that they had never fooled around for ten hours. At least not yet.

Yuushi chuckled earning him an angry glare from his pouting dearest, but he knew Gakuto would laugh as he honestly and dryly said, "Actually it was more like six. At most, six and a half...minutes."

Gakuto gasped. The pout long forgotten in light of this juicy gossip. "You made him come in six minutes?"

"From the time we first kissed? Yes. I did try to take my time, but sadly some people are rather...quick." Yuushi nodded and smiled slightly, glad they had cleared this part up as it seemed to bother Gakuto. Yuushi wondered if the little redhead had ever been jealous before. The tensai basked in the newest knowledge that Gakuto believed him. He was telling the truth but many people would put Atobe's supposed prowess in front of the unseasoned true reality.

"Damn Yuushi! So you just used your mouth on him a little and then made him come with your hand. Did you kiss him when he came? Did he look surprised at how good you are? Did he make a lotta noise? I'll bet you shocked the hell outta him! Ha!" Gakuto, delighted, threw back his head and laughed hard.

Yuushi laughed a little with him. "I believe I did surprise him. I also almost thwarted his plans. I think Atobe was trying to seduce me to lull me into a relaxed state. Atobe was quite surprised I didn't require him to reciprocate. We took a bath together after. We did not sit together, even though the bathtub was quite large. I think he felt strange that his offer to return the favor was rejected, and we ended up talking about you. It was only then that I realized I had feelings for you, but I believe Atobe noticed I did even before I knew it myself." Yuushi smiled, "There are some things Atobe Keigo is very good at."

Gakuto grinned, "Yeah, but kissing isn't one of them!" He laughed and then smiled almost shyly, "Hey? You like how I kiss?"

"Like? No. I don't like it. I love it. You're a perfect match for me. You kiss better than anyone else and if I start to wonder why, I'll feel jealous again." Yuushi remembered something Gakuto had said, "Do you really think I'm good?"

"Yeah, but don't get all conceited about it. At least not until we try the feather thing like you promised? If you can even really do that...?" Gakuto looked challengingly at him.

"Feather?" Yuushi's mind raced as Gakuto smiled widely at having lost him. The redhead took delight in his own quick mind, and here too Yuushi thought they were a match. "Oh. When I asked you if you've ever been so turned on for so long that even a feather on your wrist can make you come? Are you interested?" He moved closer to Gakuto and kissed him, unable to resist any longer.

After a moment of feverishly kissing him back, Gakuto broke the kiss, "Maybe. Is it a real thing?" Gakuto looked guardedly at him as if daring the tensai to lie or make fun of him. And then he looked at Yuushi in a way that the tensai just learned was jealousy, "You done it before? With other people?"

"I assure you it is a real thing, but as far as with other people, I don't remember. Gakuto, all I can think of is you." Yuushi kissed him but Gakuto pulled away.

Gakuto looked at him annoyed,"You're a damn genius tensai with a photographic memory...!"

"And all I can think about and see is you. Nothing I've ever done with anyone else matters. All I can think of is whether or not I've done things with you. I want to do everything with you. I want to please you in a thousand ways and more. I want to do that with you, and everything else we can think of. I want us to make each other feel good every day and I never want it to stop. Just us in every way you can think of and when you run out of things, then I have a few suggestions you might really like to try." Yuushi was completely serious.

One side of Gakuto's mouth went up and then after a few seconds, the other slowly rose to until he was smiling, "Okay. Good answer..." He lifted his lips to the tensai's for a slow kiss which he too soon pulled away from. "But Yuushi, you're gonna really tell me who it was later and give me details, right?"

Gakuto looked jealous again and Yuushi was charmed and amused, "If you'd like..."

The gorgeous redhead in his arms shrugged as if he wasn't thrilled at new information, "Yeah okay. You wanna hear the rest of my story now?"

A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

Happy Birthday Ryo! XD

Gomen that chapters are taking so long. You know I'm usually faster than this.

I moved across the country (from Arizona back home to Chicago) this month and have been a bit behind getting settled in. Am almost caught up now and there's lots more to come.

Yes, there is eventually a planned ending where all the various story lines to come together, each in their own way. Hopefully we'll get there soon. For more info about me and often chapters sooner check out my regular livejournal page.

There is a third story to come Learning to Play -- basically it's a series of short stories that take place between L2L and L2R and a fourth story that takes place 15 years later called Learning to Rise.

More soon! XDDDD

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Learning to Land