Another gift fic, for Phantom Dark Lizzy, because she has sucessfully managed to guess the meaning of my pen name. The theme was 'Akaya being the baby of Rikkaidai' and this, strangely enough, was the first thing that came to mind. Sorry that it took so long, (because I was procrastinating, mostly) and I hope you enjoy.
Warnings: major crack. some typoes. Implied M-preg and shounen-ai. Alpha Pair, mostly. Maybe OOC.
Kirihara Akaya let himself fall freely on his bead, a yawn escaping from his lips. It was another intensive training today, but strangely he didn't find himself literally asleep on his feet, as he always was whenever he would get home from afternoon practice. Usually because of exhaustion Sanada-fukubuchou (together with Yukimura-buchou and Yanagi-senpai) would always carry him home via piggyback ride. He knew this because there was one time he woke up, only to find himself sprawled against a large back. He had been scared shitless and was getting ready to fight back, thinking that he was kidnapped until he heard the voice of Yukimura-buchou, telling Sanada-fukubuchou to not jostle him around too much so he would wake up. That calmed him down and he decided to pretend to be asleep for a while.
Hey, it's not every day that your vice-captain would willingly carry you on his back, and he fully intended to enjoy the ride while it lasted.
But lately, something weird was going on in practice. He frowned, thinking about the events that happened in the last few weeks.
Namely one: he was not sleeping after tennis practice. That is a strange thing in itself.
Second: his buchou asked him to rest for a while. Rest. It was the most forbidden word in tennis training and his buchou was actually saying it. The moment the rest of the team heard it they immediately made a beeline for the captain, asking him if he was sick or if he was the one who needed some rest.
Third: Sanada-fukubuchou DID NOT yell and/or slap him during practice. Not even once. Hell, he even acknowledged that he (Akaya) was doing better in practice. And that happens only once in a million blue moons. Tentatively he asked if Sanada-fukubuchou has finally gotten laid (It was at Niou's prodding that he asked that, he swore!) and he ended up doing another hundred laps after practice, but that didn't even erase the suspicion that was starting to bubble up in his head.
Fourth: the other regulars were actually nice to him. Well, the regulars were always nice (save for Niou-senpai, Marui-senpai and Sanada-fukubuchou on occasion), but today they're extra considerate, with Marui letting him eat one full slice of the strawberry shortcake he always bought with him for practice. Even Nioudidn't do his usual job of pranking him.
Why are they so… so…. so nice to me these days? He internally grumbled, sitting up on his bed, a hand running through his curly black hair. You would think that he would be glad that his team was being considerate to him, but when you have a tennis captain who was a demon slavedriver in disguise, a vice captain who was a mega bitchslapper, and teammates who enjoy laughing at your misery, even you would get suspicious if they would suddenly act as guardian angels.
Something's going on. And it has something to do with him. But tried as he might to rack his brains and think about why it's happening, he not nothing. Damn it, it's always Yagyuu-senpai or Yanagi-senpai who's doing the thinking, not me!
Fighting down the irritated snarl rising in his throat, he exhaled a sigh and stood up, deciding to stop thinking about it lest he got brain hemorrhage. Looking around, he saw his discarded schoolbag on the doorway, beside his tennis bag that was placed down with great care on the littered floor. Contemplating on what to do, first he looked at the school bag, then to the tennis bag.
He snorted. The answer was obvious, isn't it? Kicking his school bag to the depths of his bed, he grabbed the tennis bag and unzipped it, revealing the stash of rackets and the can of tennis balls that was stowed safely inside. He grinned happily, grabbing the racket and a couple of tennis balls.
"Huh?" He blinked again, examining the racket for a closer look. This feel… is different. It felt foreign in his grasp. It wasn't his beloved PRO STAFF 5.5 PRINCE STRETCH™. Now that he thought about it… he HAD seen this model before…
"This is Yanagi-senpai's racket!" He said in realization. There's no doubt about it. The clean finish, the feel of the grip… it was the Master's tennis racket. "So then– Crap! I got Yanagi-senpai's bag by mistake!" Quickly he stuffed the racket in the bag as if it would burn him. "I have to give it back!" In his haste, he accidentally made the bag topple over.
A flash of blue caught his eye. Turning to it, he saw a long folder, meticulously hidden. His finger twitched, wanting to see that folder and see its contents. But Yukimura-buchou told him never to touch the things that weren't his, and he has always followed the captain's wishes (even though he knew it was actually an order in disguise). But he wanted to see what was written in it so badly…
Just a little peek wouldn't hurt… His mind decided, and he pulled out the long, blue envelop from the tennis bag, opening it just a fraction of an inch.
Only for it to give him the most massive shock of his entire life.
"I'M WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!"
-/-
He stormed through the halls of the Rikkaidai campus, not stopping for a single moment, his aura intimidating enough to scare off the people in his way. His brow was set in a determined way, a dark scowl on his boyish features.
He was getting to the bottom of this. RIGHT NOW.
As he passed the tennis courts, he finally saw the two persons he was looking for, and stomped over to them with a purpose, making the other tennis club members look at him in confusion. He was making a racket big enough that even the regulars stopped in their training.
"What is up with Akaya now?" Marui asked in wonder as the younger teen gave off a decidedly murderous aura. Jackal shrugged back, more concerned with what Yukimura is going to do with the ace after this. They edged closer, wanting to hear the conversation that would inevitably begin soon and at the same time to watch over their kouhai, who was already at talking distance with the two.
Akaya stomped over to his captain and vice captain, who were standing beside each other in the middle of the courts. With a voice loud enough for the person on the edge of the court to hear, he started his tirade.
"Buchou, Fukubuchou, I demand an explanation!!!"
The pair exchanged glances, with Sanada raising an eyebrow in slight question and Yukimura giving a little quirk of his shoulders. They continued like that for a while, staring at Akaya, having a silent conversation with words only they could understand, and the younger teen felt his patience thinning, until Yukimura turned to him.
"What explanation, Akaya?" He asked kindly. "Are you having any problem?"
As always, the sweet tone of the captain always put him off guard. But he would not be deterred. He came here to seek the truth and he was determined to find it.
"Is it true?! That you two…!" He didn't mean to sound so accusing, but then he saw the quick flash of pain on the captain's face, and it immediately made him feel guilty. Sanada saw it too, and gave the younger boy a death glare. He cowered internally at the look.
"Akaya, put down your hand. It's rude." Akaya felt the weight of the vice-captain's words and immediately complied, putting down the finger that he didn't know he was pointing up, making Sanada nod approvingly. "Now, what do you want to know? Is there something wrong, Akaya?"
"Are you… are you…!" He couldn't get the sentence out, but he had to! He had to know the truth! In one big breath, he finally voiced out the question that had been tormenting him all day.
"Are you two… my biological parents?!"
A dramatic silence greeted the statement, with a tension so thick you could drop a pin and hear it clink as it touched the ground. He exhaled heavily, the effort of asking the question taking the toll on his lungs as he stood, waiting for the answer.
"Well… are you?!"
More silence. Yukimura looked up at his vice captain and Sanada did likewise, starting their silent conversation again. Everyone on the courts was transfixed at the scene now, holding their breaths as the soap opera-like scene unfolded in front of their very eyes.
But Akaya wasn't finished yet. "How can you keep this from me, buchou?!" He started to wail. "Of all the times we spent together with fukubuchou, you didn't even think of telling me where I really came from?! It all made sense now! All of you were babying me from the start!" He pointed a finger dramatically over to the regulars. "Jackal-senpai was always babysitting me! Niou-senpai and Marui-senpai were always teasing me!" And then his eyes became impossibly wide as if he had learned some grand secret about the universe. "And my hair!" He grasped his hair with both of his hands, looking like a raving lunatic. "I have Sanada-fukubuchou's hair color! I have buchou's wavy hair! But why are my eyes green?!"
"That's because Sanada's mom has green eyes." Niou decided to intervene, slinking away when Akaya gave him a withering look.
"And… and… my attitude!" Now it was his jaw that was hanging from shock. "I have buchou's sadism and fukubuchou's 'never-say die' attitude! Oh my god, why didn't I realize this before?!" He released his hold on his hair in exasperation. "And don't tell me I'm lying! I saw Yanagi-senpai's data folder! And I know that Yanagi-senpai never lies about his data, so don't tell me otherwise!"
He finished his tirade with a huff, feeling the rawness of his throat as he screamed his lungs out. He panted, this exhausting him more than any tennis match he has ever played combined. He looked over to the two of them, expecting them at least to look very shocked and deny it wholeheartedly (and getting a Tarundoru!slap© from Sanada, telling him to stop imagining completely absurd things and do a million laps as a punishment) or for both of them to start laughing insanely (well, his buchou would) and tell him that he had just been completely duped and he had fallen for it: hook, line and sinker.
But Yukimura regarded him with the same serene look he always had, almost bemused, while Sanada looking him calmly, almost patiently, as if waiting for the adolescent tantrum to be finished. When Akaya looked like he wasn't going to say something any time soon, Sanada wrapped his arms around Yukimura's waist and moved forward until they were in front of the younger teen.
And then he finally said, in a very simple tone:
"Yes. We are your parents."
Akaya had expected for his world to come crashing down at him, or that he would question them about the life he used to lead until now, but now that he finally learned the secret that he was forcing them to admit, he can only say one sentence.
"… Excuse me?"
"Akaya, sweetie, what Genichirou says is the truth. You demanded an answer, am I correct?" Yukimura smiled at him more tenderly than usual. "Well, we'll admit it. I am your mother, and Genichirou is your father."
"Bu-But…" He stuttered. The fact that they admitted to being his parents made it all the more bizarre. His head was starting to spin.
"And so the secret is out, eh?" Akaya suddenly found an arm slung around his shoulders, and he looked beside him, only to see the Trickster grinning madly at him. "And about damned time too. It's hard to put an act like that, don't you know?"
"Haru, you are so impatient, as always." Yukimura smiled at the platinum-blond, leaning against Sanada who gave him a small smile. "But yes, we are glad that we can finally drop the acting, now that Akaya knows the truth."
"Wait! Niou-senpai… you knew?!" He yelped once the realization clicked in his mind.
"No shit, Sherlock." Niou rolled his eyes, his expression screaming 'duh'. "We ALL knew. EVERYONE knew. Except you."
"So then…! Marui-senpai… Jackal-senpai… Yagyuu-senpai… and even Yanagi-senpai….!"
"When I say everyone, Akaya, I mean EVERYONE. As in, even Seigaku, and Hyotei knows."
"B-Bu-But why didn't you tell me?!"
"We couldn't." Yukimura answered simply. "And besides Akaya, would you believe it if we told you?"
He had a point there, Akaya thought grudgingly. Hell, he was still having a hard time believing it now.
"Bu-But how can you have me, buchou?! You and fukubuchou are both males! Isn't that kind of impossible?!" He asked incredulously.
Now the captain looked at Sanada, eyebrow raised, an expectant look on his features. Sanada, understanding the look, blanched noticeably, making Yukimura giggle. But he nodded, stepping away from Yukimura, clearing his throat to explain. Well, tried to explain might be more accurate.
"Well, you see Akaya…" He started off, looking and sounding very uncomfortable, with Niou and Yukimura stifling their laughter in the background. "When two people love each other very much, they–"
Oh God. God NO. Akaya's face scrunched up in a horrific comprehension when he realized what his fukubuchou was trying to do. Niou gave him the 'talk' at the end of his first year, and he was not looking forward to an encore.
"I already know about that!" Akaya yelled loudly, covering his ears, interrupting the fukubuchou's words. "Niou-senpai already told me everything!"
Snada shot him a brief, grateful look before moving on to glare at Niou, who raised his hands, grinning sheepishly.
"Um, fukubuchou? The explanation? And please, skip the birds and the bees thing!" He added hastily.
"What else is there to explain, honey?" Yukimura regarded the ace thoughtfully. "We're your parents and you're our son. Isn't that enough?"
"Hell no, buchou!" He yowled loudly. "Please explain to me as to how two middle school students managed to create a child who has just a one year age difference between him and his parents! And his parents are males to boot!"
"To put it simply Akaya, you were born to us because the fans who are watching the series want us to." Yukimura stated, almost nonchalantly, walking forward so that he was in Sanada's side again. "You forget honey, that we live in the fiction world. And with that logic, anything can happen; even there is no logical reasoning to it. They wished it to happen, so it happened."
"It came as a surprise to us when we found out that Yuki was pregnant with you, Akaya." Marui decided to butt in. "The fangirls are powerful wishers. Even Takeshi Konomi-sensei was powerless to stop them."
"But it didn't mean that he didn't want you, Akaya." Jackal continued, materializing beside his doubles partner. "Even Sanada was excited at the prospect of being a father. Considering that we were in first year then too…"
"Bu-But what about the Nationals?! Didn't Rikkaidai win because of buchou, fukubuchou and Yanagi-senpai?"
"Seiichi didn't once step into the courts while he was pregnant, Akaya." Sanada spoke up, once again wrapping an arm around Yukimura's waist. "He always watched from the sidelines, saying that he didn't want to play so he wouldn't risk a miscarriage."
"And Sanada went all crazy on the third years then they tried to force Yukimura as Singles-1 on the courts." Niou chortled. "I remember him throwing his racket down in the middle of the match and threatening them that he would forfeit if they would keep harassing Yukimura. It was Singles-2 and Rikkai already lost twice, and Yanagi was in Doubles-1, so you could imagine, Bakaya, on how special you are to Yukimura and Sanada."
"We wanted you very much, Akaya. When you were born there were no words to describe how happy we were." Yukimura smiled tenderly at the second year. "Your father and I endured much when I was pregnant with you."
"But it was all worth it in the end." Sanada nodded, looking from Yukimura to Akaya, an almost gentle look crossing his features.
Whatever comeback Akaya thought about in his mind crumbled when he heard those words. They were sincere, and the explanation was absurdly impossible that it had to be true.
There is still one thing that was bothering him though.
"But if you wanted me, why did you leave me with another family?!" He asked dramatically. The soap opera wasn't finished yet. "Don't you want to take care of me?!"
"We would ruin the whole plot if we did that." Marui rolled his eyes. "Think about it. A whole team babysitting a child? Not exactly a fan favorite."
"When you were born, Takeshi-sensei went to visit the hospital room to explain everything. We had no choice but to give you up." Yukimura stated, a bit sad at the memory.
"But thankfully, he made some compromises." Jackal continued. "He made you grow up under the care of the Kiriharas and decided that you could stay with us as your teammates, on the condition that we wouldn't tell you anything."
Sanada nodded, remembering the time that Taksehi-sensei took their child away, only a few months old and finally seeing his son again during their second year, and the pain that came when they couldn't tell him the truth.
Akaya's eyes widened. So that's why they've been babying him all this time. Due to some divine power of the universe, he was made to grow up exceedingly fast for him to be able to rejoin his parents as their kouhai.
Damn it. He was better off not knowing the truth. Now his head was hurting.
"Akaya, honey, you okay?" Yukimura asked, visibly concerned when Akaya winced. "I- I'm okay, buchou!" He waved the concern away. "Don't worry about–"
"I know that you must be shocked to learn all of this in one day." The vice captain said to him quietly. "Take as much time as you need to adjust, Akaya."
"Does your head hurt?" A pair of hands touched his face and he looked up to see the captain hovering above him protectively. Yukimura looked thoughtful for a second before turning to his vice captain, who was immediately at his side. "Genichirou, what do you think?"
As they both talked quietly about the state of his well being, Akaya could feel his heart thudding, pulsing, as faint, vague pieces of his memory started entering his mind. He knew this touch, in fact; it was the first thing he felt as a boy, the first memory he had come to remember.
He had always wondered why it always felt different when it was his buchou or fukubuchou who touched him, this relaxed warmth, soothing at the same time protective, something he never felt from his original family members.
It… felt like…
"Okaa…san…." The word escaped his lips.
"And–" Yukimura was in the middle of speaking when he heard those words. Stunned, both captain and vice captain turned to the second year, unable to believe the words at first.
"Akaya… what did you just say?"
"… Okaa-san. You… " He pointed at Yukimura and then at Sanada in wide eyed wonder. "… Otou-san."
Everything clicked in one single motion.
Yukimura's eyes sparkled with tears, grabbing the second year in a tight hug. "You don't know how long I've waited to hear that…" He whispered. "My Akaya. My son."
Sanada truly smiled, holding his family close, completing the perfect family picture.
Akaya was still bewildered with his own realization. Too much happened this day.
But… to be honest with himself, he was glad that he finally knew the truth.
After all, he has the most badass tennis players in the whole middle school circuit as his parents. Who wouldn't be happy with that?!
Because in my headcanon: Sanada + Yukimura = Akaya.
Reviews and constrictive criticism much appreciated.
OMAKE (I couldn't resist.)
"But Akaya… how did you know?"
"Well… I... kinda saw Yanagi-senpai's data about it and…"
"Renji's data? So that means that…"
"HA! You're the one who got Yanagi's tennis bag my mistake!"
"It was an accident, Marui-senpai! I swear! Okaa-san, I didn't mean to look!"
"Akaya, what have I told you about looking into other's peoples things without permission? I did not raise you to be that way, young man."
"B-But Okaa-san!"
"But… I'll let that slide for now, since that meant that I could finally hold you like this."
"So Okaa-san… if you're my Okaa-san and fukubuchou is my Otou-san… what about the other regulars?"
"Niou and Yagyuu are your godparents, Marui can be viewed as your older brother of sorts, and Jackal is your babysitter, of course."
"… What about Yanagi-senpai?"
"Oh, he's your fiancé."
"…"
"And he's quite adamant about it too. He said to me while I was pregnant that 'There is a one hundred percent of me falling in love with your child, Seiichi, and a ninety-five percent chance of us being together in the future.' It surprised me, frankly, but I still approve. Your father, on the other hand, is a different story."
"… HE'S MY WHAT?!"