Title: ShockBangKiss
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Characters/Pairings: Tezuka/Fuji/Ryoma
Genre: Err... Is "snogging" a genre?
Word Count: 1425
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.
Notes: That was my working title, and I didn't think I'd keep it, except... I couldn't think of any better ones. Written about a year ago. Ahaha...

Echizen, Tezuka notices this first time, doesn't close his eyes the way he is supposed to -- particularly since the kiss doesn't come as a surprise or anything. Tezuka wants to watch those eyelids flutter shut before he follows suit -- maybe because it is a strange admittance of submission. Maybe just because it's the way things are done. Maybe -- something else.

But Echizen never closes his eyes. Tezuka grips lightly at the freshman's hips and can only stare back, partially mesmerized and partially perplexed and partially frustrated. In return, Ryoma smirks into the kiss before breaking away, picking up his racket again, and sauntering out of the clubroom.

It takes Kunimitsu a moment to register what just happened.

Tezuka has had to get used to it after that. Granted, it is still a little weird, but he has learned the true benefit of emulating that strange little habit of Echizen's. He has, over the course of several weeks and many, many kisses, become skilled at reading that mysterious golden-gray-amber of Echizen's eyes. He can usually judge when Ryoma is hungry for deep kisses; when he wants light brushes of lips against lips just tantalizing enough to keep him needing more; when he will be happy with just normal, quick kisses on the run; when he is sleepy-drowsy-lazy and just wants sleepy-drowsy-lazy kisses before they go to their respective homes.

He has become able to read what Ryoma likes on any given day, when he needs room to breathe, why he needs this kiss right now. He can see when Echizen is sulking but trying to hide it, when he is having an absolutely horrible day, when he is going to be particularly obstinate at practice (which is terribly useful, in Tezuka's opinion).

It is, however, an unfortunately double-edged sword, because either Echizen is getting pretty damn spectacular at kissing or he's figured out how to read Tezuka, too.

Which sucks, because Tezuka hates it when he is less-than-opaque; having one perceptive player around is trouble enough, when the player is Fuji. The captain thinks that if he ever has to endure another practice with both of his star players up his back about being grouchier than usual (though it is Ryoma's fault and he knows it), he will quit the club, pack his bags, and become a Buddhist monk in the middle of some nowhereland where neither of them will find him. Or else he'll assign them 200 laps each.

(On a side note, Tezuka still remembers that time when Fuji and Echizen decided to do 50 laps each and call it 100 total. He'd told them to go ahead and split another 100 laps between them. In return, he got two nearly identical pouts, one Mada mada dane, and a That's so cold, Tezuka. He'd ignored them both, but Ryuuzaki-sensei had fits of laughter. Tezuka did not appreciate it.)

Although... Tezuka does kind of like those days when he's had way too much to do between the club and schoolwork and is running on four hours of sleep -- and then Echizen is there, seemingly materializing out of thin air to pull Tezuka down and lean in and kiss him sweet and soft.

And if Tezuka is exhausted enough, he just closes his eyes for once and lets Echizen do what he wants. And those were the only times when Ryoma closes his eyes, Tezuka knows -- knows because Echizen usually keeps his eyes closed for a little longer after they've finished kissing and just sit there, foreheads touching, breathing.

This, unfortunately, is not one of those peaceful times.

It is after a particularly hellish practice of about 50 timed laps, ball-cone color coordination, and other such practice techniques dreamed up by Ryuuzaki-sensei and Inui -- all with the threat of Inui's New and Improved Super-Powered Remix Deluxe Spectacular Juice (or something like that -- Inui always uses way too many English adjectives to remember, even for Echizen) hanging over their heads.

So Tezuka and Echizen are merely sitting together in a very ungraceful heap behind the school, flushed and tired and sweaty.

And alone.

Echizen is half-collapsed in his lap, their rackets on the ground and off to the side somewhere. Kunimitsu rolls his head a few times before he finds a position that he likes and where there is that lovely, soothing little ache at the base of his skull.. The younger of the two shifts, turns so that he can rest his head in that nice place where Tezuka's neck and shoulder meet. The captain frowns a moment before hitching the shoulder up and reaching with the other hand to take his kouhai's hat off.

He hears Echizen's low laugh below his ear right before he feels the press of lips against the side of his neck. Tezuka hitches up his shoulder again, wearily, because it makes shivers go down his spine whenever Echizen does that.

Echizen laughs again and shifts again, though this is to press his mouth against Tezuka's in another one of those good kisses -- hard and tired at the same time, a none-too-gentle tug-of-war for control.

Kunimitsu is just getting into it when he feels the politely patient presence not too far away.

Fuji stands a good five feet away from them, his arms crossed in front of him and his customary smile in place. He smiles wider as he surveys the altogether very compromising position he has just caught the two regulars in.

"You're supposed to close your eyes, you know, Echizen. You too, Tezuka," is the casual reproof.

Tezuka feels himself go blank and doesn't even realize it when Echizen pulls away from him. Of course. Of all of the people to catch him doing something more than a little immoral with a kouhai under his care -- a kouhai who is two years younger than he is and hardly into puberty, come to think of it -- it has to be Fuji. Has to be Fuji.

Karma, Tezuka decides, is a dirty bitch.

But Echizen doesn't move; doesn't scramble away and pretend to be innocent or anything of that sort.

"I like to look at Buchou," is all he tells the genius.

"I see," Fuji responds, looking amused. He takes a few steps forward and peers down at Echizen. "Is he a good kisser?"

Tezuka feels the mortification sink in.

Echizen, on the other hand, smirks lightly.

"Of course."

"Are you a good kisser?" the genius asks then, shifting gears oh-so-slightly.

Echizen, caught a little off-guard, blinks a little but recovers quickly, spreading out his hands.

"Don't know. Ask Buchou."

"Mm..." is all Fuji says, "But I'd rather find out for myself."

And then he leans forward and down and kisses Ryoma firmly.

Ryoma, to Tezuka's abject horror, does not push Fuji away. Quite the contrary -- his hand goes to Fuji's shoulder, tugs him closer ever-so-slightly.

Neither of them, Tezuka realizes once the shock wears off, closes his eyes -- no -- but rather watch him intently.

Part of Tezuka wishes that Echizen would just get off of him so that he can storm away in what would be justified anger, or at least frustration. The other part of him wishes his stomach would stop –- stop feeling like that. Wishes his heart would stop skipping and pounding and skipping again. Either way, he doesn't like what he is feeling.

Tezuka starts to look away.

But then there is a hand on his arm, holding him in place as Fuji breaks from Echizen and brushes against the captain's lips -- hard, firm, delicious.

Tezuka's eyes snap shut.

And for a moment, Tezuka can think of nothing but how this is -- indescribable.

"See, Echizen-kun?" Fuji asks a minute later. "You have to shut your eyes like Tezuka."

Tezuka hears Ryoma snort.

"What do you want, Fuji?" Tezuka asks harshly when he can breathe again.

Fuji merely looks at him with icy, calculating hawk-eyes.

"What do I want...?"

When he sees the predatory smile on Fuji Syuusuke's lips, Tezuka Kunimitsu immediately regrets asking the question.

"I want in."

Three weeks later and Tezuka thinks that -- really -- it's not so bad, even if Echizen and Fuji are a real handful when they're together.

It's really --

(Fuji attaches his lips to the back of Tezuka's neck and Tezuka's breath hitches)

-- really --

(Ryoma laughs into the kiss, and Tezuka wonders if he even knows how seductive it sounds)

-- really not so bad.