\"Coming Out\"

\"Coming Out\"
by Yami Czarina

Pairing(s): Oishi/Kikumaru and you have to read for the rest
Summary: The Seigaku Regulars (plus one) tell all.
Disclaimer: I don\'t own these beauties, wahhhh!


The Golden Pair came out first.

\"Um, because you guys mean so much to us,\" Kikumaru Eiji began at the start of the secret meeting of the Seigaku regulars (plus \"manager\" Inui), \"we\'ve decided to come out. Oishi and me.\"

\"Out,\" Momoshiro echoed, his eyes widened. \"As in...\"

\"As in coming out, yeah,\" Oishi murmured, blushing.

Kikumaru laughed weakly, rubbing at the back of his neck, then pressed on before he lost his nerve. \"We\'re gay... and... we\'re together! Hee hee!\" He and Oishi exchanged a warm glance before taking deep breaths and looking around to gauge the reaction.

There wasn\'t one... yet. But the tension in the room rose about 200%. No one looked at them suddenly... and no one looked in the direction of their captain. In fact, no one very pointedly looked at anyone else.

Tezuka spoke first. \"I have absolutely no problem with this. As you two have been dating for quite some time and it apparently hasn\'t affected your tennis adversely, I cannot mind that you have this relationship.\"

The tension went down by about half. \"Tezuka,\" Oishi breathed, relieved that at least he had gained the support of the team captain and his best friend.

\"How long is \'quite some time\'?\" Momoshiro asked, a look in his eye that could either be a gleam or the prelude to horror.

\"Since the end of the last school year,\" Oishi admitted, while Kikumaru next to him gulped. Now the questions would start...

Inui Sadaharu twitched. Eyes turned to his direction. Tezuka spoke up, his voice even and firm. \"You are not recording this information in your notebook, Inui.\"

Twitch. After a pause, Inui replied smoothly, \"I suppose I don\'t have to. I\'m not likely to forget this.\"

A few twitters. Then... silence. The group sat quietly for a full two minutes, then Kaidoh Kaoru murmured, \"I\'m pretty sure I\'m straight.\"

Eyes blinked as the others registered the unexpectedly offered information. Inui made more mental notes. Then Kawamura Takashi added in a small voice, \"Me, too. I think I\'m straight, I mean. I... I really don\'t care about what others are, as long as they\'re happy.\" He looked over to the Golden Pair, looking as if he was about to cry. \"I mean that!\"

\"Thanks, Taka-san,\" Oishi murmured with a smile while Kikumaru just beamed.

More silence. Inui thought to himself, [This is interesting. Four down and five to go. I wonder if it\'ll all come out now. I have my guesses...] Behind the highly reflective lenses of his glasses, he wore a wicked gleam.

\"Well, I don\'t have any preference either way, so that makes me bisexual,\" Momoshiro suddenly admitted with an evil grin, then laughed out loud at the startled expressions. \"Ha, no one guessed!\"

\"You wish,\" Echizen Ryoma muttered under his breath, but no one caught it except Fuji who sat to to him.

[We have more surprises here,] Fuji Syuusuke thought to himself, highly amused by this strange turn of events. Most of the group had half-expected the sudden meeting had something to do with the Golden Pair. Fuji had guessed correctly that they wanted to come out of the closet to the regulars. [Indeed, Echizen is as perceptive as I am. What must be going on in his young head right now?]

\"Don\'t come near me,\" Kaidoh growled in delayed reaction to Momoshiro\'s announcement.

\"Don\'t worry, ewwww,\" Momoshiro thrack,ack, making a face at his rival. \"I don\'t do Vipers, trust me!\"

\"Ssssss...\" Kaidoh hissed back.

The group laughed, though nervously, and the tension went down a bit more. [That\'s five,] thought Inui.

After another long pause, Fuji straightened and spoke up. \"Well, I must match courage for courage. I\'m gay, too.\" He smiled sunnily though he looked pointedly around the group, his glance carefully not lingering on anyone, though Inui thought perhaps it lingered minutely longer on Tezuka and... this was interesting... Echizen.

\"Really?\" Kikumaru asked, his eyes going wide.

Fuji chuckled, a dangerous sound, to be sure. He tilted his head to the side, chin up in a somewhat coquettish pose. \"Don\'t tell me you never noticed that the Tsubame Gaeshi is one of the gayest-looking maneuvers in tennis?!\"

Titters went around the room, and Momoshiro commented smugly, \"Okay, I did notice this, heh!\"

\"Me, too,\" Oishi admitted with a relieved chuckle. Everything seemed to be going just fine. Hopefully everyone in the group followed Tezuka and Kawamura\'s example of unequivocal support. Though one person in particular had been ominously silent. Were they wrong to include their very young freshman?

[Six,] Inui thought. [Hmmm...] \"You know,\" he said aloud, looking thoughtful, \"revelations of this sort between teammates can be something of a bonding ritual. Sharing secrets with one another nasilasily revealed to the outside world, especially for Fuji and our Golden Pair. It demonstrates the level of trust they have in us to reveal what they have. Momoshiro, too.\"

\"I agree,\" Tezuka spoke up. \"Thank you, Inui, for that perspective. If we all reveal something this personal to one another, then it brings us that much closer, and binds us as a single unit. It\'s a trust that can help us continue to win.\"

This was not something most of the others would ever have expected their solemn team captain, Tezuka Kunimitsu, to say. The group was collectively awed and stunned.

Inui\'s mouth dropped open. Tezuka had done all but tell him \"you\'re next\". After all, the only others who hadn\'t spoken yet were himself, Tezuka, and Echizen. Would Tezuka really reveal his sexual orientation? Did their spectacular little freshman even know his?

Clearing his throat, Inui began his own admission. \"Very well, I brought it up, so I must follow through.\" He took a deep breath. \"I don\'t believe I am oriented toward only males or only females, so I suppose that makes me bisexual as well.\"

\"Inui-senpai!\" Momoshiro exclaimed, delighted.

Inui glanced away from the others, embarrassed. \"Not that I\'m looking for a relationship! I\'m just admitting to my, er, orientation. Or specific lack thereof.\"

Fuji glanced narrowly around the room, gauging reactions. With interest he noted that Kaidoh\'s eyes widened minutely at Inui\'s admission. [Ah, thought so... not as straight as he thinks, I\'m guessing...]

As if Kaidoh felt the tensai\'s eyes on him, he blurted suddenly, \"I\'m not looking for a relationship either.\"

\"I guess neither am I,\" Kawamura admitted sheepishly.

\"I am,\" Fuji spoke up, his sunny smile returned.

[Scary,] thought most of the group.

\"Well, I\'m not looking for a steady relationship,\" Momoshiro admitted, grinning. \"I don\'t mind plg arg around a little!\" But it wasn\'t Fuji he inadvertently glanced at.

Echizen, who\'d sat stock still, expressionless through all of this, turned to look at his captain abruptly. \"Oi, buchou, what about you?\"

The tension went back up 100%. Everyone in the group managed to look at Tezuka while carefully not looking at him... that is, out of the corners of eyes. And more than one breath was held. Would their stoic captain really reveal his preference?

And Tezuka was *still* expressionless, though the more perceptive could see volumes in his eyes - that would be Fuji and Echizen. Tezuka straightened and sighed. \"Of course I don\'t believe it needs to be said,\" he began quietly, \"that none of this leaves this room. But I\'ve said it anyway. That said... I admit that I am gay as well.\"

[Ohhhh, he said it,] Fuji thought, feeling suddenly warm. [Mmmmm, Tezuka...]

[No shit!] Momoshiro thought, feeling warm at the thought of his tall, lean, gorgeously built captain being gay. [And Inui is bi... yum, and Fuji\'s gay... they\'re all so hot! This could be a very fun year...]

[Oh my God,] thought Kawamura, frozen in his seat. [I don\'t care, I don\'t care...]

[Now *that* I didn\'t expect,] Inui mused, madly scribbling on a mental note pad. [But then I didn\'t guess about Momo, either. Hmmm...]

[I\'m going to promptly forget this whole conversation as soon as we get out of here... yeah, that\'s it,] Kaidoh thought, feeling pale.

[Oi, buchou and Fuji are gay, too! I\'m so happy!] Kikumaru thought gleefully and slipped his hand into Oishi\'s.

[You did it,] Oishi thought about his friend, relieved. [You actually said it. I admire you more every day... arigato, Tezuka...]

It was then everyone realized no one had spoken a word yet. And when someone did speak finally, everyone jumped in shock at the identity of the speaker though it was his words which stunned them the most.

\"Eh, buchou, you want to go on a date with me this Friday?\"

It was Echizen Ryoma.

Tezuka\'s mouth fell open slightly, and he blinked owlishly at their diminutive freshman.

Everyone held their breath, feeling a sort of delicious horror that their audacious little monster tennis genius should ask such a thing of their *captain*. All of them half expected Tezuka to suddenly dismiss the meeting and order them all to do fifty laps around the tennis courts. But it wasn\'t only Fuji this time who felt a bit of sadistic pleasure in wondering how their captain was going to react to this... and how the Brat was going to get smacked down.

Fuji wanted them both. [Or maybe if they got together they\'d let me watch sometime,] he considered wickedly.

[Did not see THAT coming either,] Inui thought, feeling queasy all of a sudden at how badly his intuition had let him down. Though it wasn\'t as if he\'d spent a lot of time considering THIS angle of his teammates...

[The kid just asked Tezuka out on a date!] Momoshiro thought, feeling as if he\'d missed something huge that had been right in front of his nose. Being that he hung around with Echizen more than anyone else on the team, he couldn\'t believe he hadn\'t seen this coming. [I might have had a chance with the little squirt... eh, he is kinda cute, though...]

No one else could form a single thought, frozen with horror.

Echizen merely looked expectantly at the captain, a minute smile on his lips, appearing ready to wait all day for an answer.

[Never, EVER underestimate the kid again,] Inui swore to himself, gulping. [Never...]

Tezuka\'s mind, meanwhile, was spinning dizzily. It was one of his most private, darkest secrets that he liked the incredibly talented... and admittedly gorgeous little freshman. He wouldn\'t have asked the boy out in a million years, not at his age... but that Echizen asked him first turned it all upside down... and him inside out. Then he remembered that Echizen had lived in America for quite a few years... and could very well be as precocious in his sexuality as he was in his tennis... though the damn chibi had sure fooled everyone in that regard...

He wet his lips, feeling hot. Everyone was holding their breaths, he knew, waiting for his answer. Clearly Echizen expected him to say something at least. Of course, as team captain he could blow it all off and dismiss them, but the problem was he *wanted* to date the freshman, badly. At least while he could... for of course next year they\'d be parted, probably forever, when Tezuka went to high school. [Seize the moment, goes the saying,] he mused, forcing himself to calm down. [But consider the consequences. Of course we can be as discreet as Oishi and Kikumaru have been... but it\'s different because I\'m the team captain. Can I date any of them? Or will they think I\'ll treat him differently because we\'re dating? I can\'t allow that...]

Tezuka made himself look at the boy, meeting his gaze full on. What he saw in those hazel depths was what decided his mind for him. He saw only hope... and surprisingly, understanding. Of course Echizen knew he couldn\'t expect to take advantage of a relationship with the team captain. [He\'s plenty mature... and he really means this. He didn\'t say that just to rock the team\'s world, though he certainly did that... again. We won\'t let things get out of hand... not us. I think I can do this...]

While Tezuka couldn\'t bring himself to match Echizen\'s faint smile - that would have to be in private - he did match the understanding in the other\'s eyes... and the hope. \"Aa, that will be fine,\" he said at long last, nodding minutely.

Echizen\'s expression took on a minute glow, the response making him very happy. Then he bowed his head, disappearing under his cap again.

Before their startled teammates could react, Tezuka snapped to the group, \"Of course I will not treat Echizen any differently on the court! Oishi and Kikumaru have been very discreet, and you can expect no less from us. I expect that of any of you! What you do in your private life with whomever you do it with is none of my concern any longer. I do believe this was useful... I think our level of trust has risen... but I don\'t expect to hear any more about this. You\'re dismissed.\"

Still shocked, the Seigaku regulars and Inui realized abruptly that the meeting was over. Tezuka, in fact, was the first out the door... alone. Echizen hadn\'t budged, but it was clear he was pleased with the outcome, though he knew better than to rub their faces in it - not that he wasn\'t inclined to do that. But the captain had spoken. The True Confession session was over.

Kaidoh and Kawamura were the next to l, bo, both relieved to escape. Momoshiro, looking thoughtful and clearly wanting to tease Echizen, left next, choosto vto vanish for now though he\'d look for an opportunity another day to pester his friend in private. Inui amended his mental note: [Never EVER EVER underestimate the Brat...] The Golden Pair left next, hand in hand, looking quite happy and immensely relieved at the outcome of the meeting.

When Echizen looked up finally, he met the gaze of Fuji Syuusuke who was regarding him with a very interesting expression. \"Oi, Fuji-senpai,\" the freshman spoke first, his faint smile returning. \"Disappointed?\"

As Fuji sat down on the bench beside the boy, his cerulean blue eyes gleamed. \"With you, never,\" he admitted cheerily. \"You haven\'t disappointed me yet, and I don\'t expect you ever will. Though I am vexed that you beat me to him.\"

Echizen\'s eyes widened, but so did his smile. \"Ehhh, Fuji-senpai, you don\'t have to be vexed.\"

One brown eyebrow went up. \"I don\'t?\" [Oh, he\'s precious...]

The freshman smirked. \"Eh, Fuji-senpai, you want to go out with me on a date Friday night?\"

Fuji grinned back. \"But you have a date with Tezuka.\"

Echizen shrugged. \"The more the merrier?\"

Fuji laughed and dared to slip his hand into the freshman\'s. \"I can handle that!\"

Just then the door to the clubhouse opened again. It was Tezuka. He gaped at his two teammates sitting there hand in hand. No one spoke for ten seconds. Then he said, \"Is there something else I should know?\"

\"Oi, buchou,\" Echizen spoke up, though he didn\'t dare look at the captain. \"Look at what I found to bring along on our date. You don\'t mind, do you?\"

Tezuka\'s mouth fell open. He looked over at Fuji, who merely smiled back serenely. Maddingly serene... Then he tore his eyes away from the object of his other private, dark desire. [I\'m either completely mad... or just very very lucky...] \"Iya,\" he muttered, then departed again before the heat he suddenly felt translated itself to a particular part of his body.

\"Mada mada da ne,\" Echizen murmured, looking remarkably like a cat who had just managed to score two bowls of cream.

And they were going to taste very, very good...

The End
Yami Czarina
Peacewind7@yahoo.com