Title: Cover Boy
Topic: Photos
Rating: PG for the Fuji-mindfuck and dirty games. XD
Pairing: infinitesimal FujixRyoma
Word Count: 1,042
Time: 40 mins (without edits, cuz I was lazy)
A/N: So yeah, this is a request I did for a thread on livejournal for meitachi... it was just kind of sitting there gathering dust, so I thought I'd put it up in lieu of sitting down and trying to make sense of my Kyou Kara Mou fic. Sorry if this wasn't very good… I find it kind of hard to write pairings I don't support, but I gave it the old college try. -;; Managed to go through it rather quickly thanks to an easy theme though, so that helps.
Disclaimer: Totally not mine.

The game had been simple enough, though looking back, Ryoma probably should have known better than to believe anything Fuji-sempai suggested was simple by design.

That meant he didn't really have anyone to blame but himself of course, and for all he knew, that was what Fuji-sempai had planned to happen all along.

It was a rather frustrating aspect of life around the older player- Echizen wasn't sure when to have his guard up or when to lower his defenses around the other boy.

Which usually meant Fuji-sempai got away with everything.

It had been the same back in middle school, and it was still the same now in high school. Though Echizen could learn to counter Fuji's every move on the tennis court, could split-step and jack-knife and drop shot and lob and find a way, somehow, to make Fuji work for every point he tried to earn on the court, it all went to nothing the moment they stepped off of it. Perhaps that was why Tezuka-buchou had given up after many unsuccessful attempts at deciphering the prodigy. Ryoma was beginning to suspect that he would be, yet again, following in his captain's footsteps very soon.

But even with all that rationalizing, the fact of the matter was, he still should have suspected something when Fuji-sempai had proposed that game. The fact that he hadn't thought anything of it besides beating Fuji at his own over-confident proposals bothered him, especially considering what the game had entailed. His ears turned slightly pink at the recollection, and he vowed the moment he saw the other tennis player he'd let him know exactly how not-amused he was with his antics. Fuji may have been an expert at sidestepping the younger boy's attacks off the court, but this time, he'd really gone too far.

Though in Echizen's defense, it had been a hot day, and Ryoma had really thought he'd win enough points to beat Fuji-sempai at his own game before he lost any of his own clothing.

Che. Strip-tennis. He should have known better. What a dumb idea.

Rounding a corner, Ryoma shouldered his tennis bag more securely and straightened his hat self-consciously, as the jeers and hoots of passing students continued to bombard his ears. He quickened his pace and hurried towards his one place of refuge- the tennis courts.

Moments later, as he stumbled quickly into the locker room, he found the very cause of his debilitating embarrassment calmly tying the laces of his sneakers as he prepared for afternoon practice.

Fuji looked up at the sound of the door opening and smiled in welcome. "Good afternoon, Echizen-kun."

Further irked by the older player's ambiguous benevolence, Ryoma scowled and decided to forgo the formality of greetings and cut to the chase. "Fuji-sempai, can I have a word with you?" he asked, stalking up to his rival ill-temperedly.

Unfazed by the sudden close in distance, Fuji simply replied, "Of course, Ryoma. Is something the matter?" Then, perhaps for effect, the other boy tilted his head to one side in a gesture that- had Ryoma not known him better- might have passed for genuine concern.

The younger boy glared at his sempai one more time and held up the magazine that had been clutched under his arm ever since Horio had laughingly thrust it on his desk this morning during English class. "Care to explain this, Fuji-sempai?"

Fuji studied the magazine, briefly. "Hunks of High School Tennis- Summer Girls' Love Special? I didn't know you read these sorts of things, Echizen-kun."

Ryoma snorted. "Hard to miss when I suddenly find myself on the cover, sempai."

Fuji smiled, chuckled in a warm sort of way that made it difficult for anyone to stay on the offensive against him. "Aa, I suppose so, ne? It is a good picture though. I can see why it's on the front."

The younger player crossed his arms in an attempt to not be affected by Fuji when he turned on the charm. "Fuji-sempai, I thought we were just playing a game between the two of us that day?" he asked, mildly accusatory and resolved to retain at least a little ire at the prodigy, even when he was smiling so disarmingly.

Fuji took the magazine from Echizen's hand and looked it over more speculatively before turning up, eyes staring straight at the younger boy in an unnervingly friendly manner. "Well you see, Shiba-san came and told me she asked you to pose for pictures for this issue. And that you refused. She seemed so unhappy that I told her I'd do everything I could to help."

Ryoma's cheeks tinged red and he turned his gaze downward, suddenly put on the defensive again at Fuji's intensity. He scowled. "Che! Of course I refused! She wanted shirtless pictures!"

Fuji's eyes returned to normal, and he put a placating hand on Ryoma's shoulder. "Well, given the issue's title, that's hardly surprising. And I think she got rather good photos, don't you?" Then, one-handed, he flipped through the magazine easily- like he'd done it a hundred times today already. "I especially like this one on page 21, next to Atobe-san's."

Echizen turned redder around the ears, and threw off the hand on his shoulder in a fit of embarrassed pique. "And speaking of that, why did you have to give her so many!" he complained, though most of his anger had mysteriously dissipated at Fuji's last compliment. "They're humiliating!"

Fuji, voice warmth with laughter, reached out and removed Ryoma's cap so that he could ruffle the hair underneath. "Don't worry, Echizen-kun…"

Ehcizen swatted the patronizing hand away. "Che, what's there to worry about now? Everyone's already seen those damn pictures."

Enigmatic as always, Fuji chuckled and resettled the high school freshman's cap on his head before leaning forward, close enough so that his lips were a breath away from Ryoma's ear. "Well, you see… you don't have to worry too much because I kept all of the really good ones for myself."

"Eh!"

Laughing melodically, Fuji grabbed his bag, cheerful as ever, and brushed past the other boy towards the door. "We'd better hurry, or Tezuka-buchou will punish us for being late to practice," he called back easily over his shoulder.

"FUJI-SEMPAI!"

END