Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of its characters.

Warning: Shonen-ai one-shot

Pairing: Tezuka X Echizen

Chopsticks

By: Gwynhafra86

Chopsticks.

Tezuka really had little fascination for these things, considering he had been using them all his life. Just two wooden, slender twigs used to pick up one's morsel of food and stuff it in one's mouth. How interesting could that be?

Yet now, Tezuka found himself unable to tear his eyes away from said utensils.

These pair weren't just any chopsticks. Nope. This pair was now in the hands of one Echizen Ryoma, prodigy of Seigaku.

Ryoma's hands were known to do a lot of wonders. With the flick of his wrist, he would execute the Twist Serve. With a smash, he would activate the unbeatable Cool Drive. He was also known to hold his racket steady in the faces of opponents as he taunted them. Yes, when it came to the racket, Ryoma exuded the finesse of a professional.

When it came to chopsticks, however, Ryoma was downright pathetic.

Ryoma, at the moment, was staring down at his chopsticks, his golden eyes narrowed with concentration. He held...no... 'held' wasn't the word to describe how he handled the pair of twigs. 'Gripped' or 'clutched' was more appropriate a term. Tezuka couldn't decide whether the feeling running through him at that moment was fascination or horror as he watched Ryoma guide his pair of chopsticks to his sushi.

Tezuka frowned to himself. From what he had learnt, Ryoma's favourite type of food was grilled fish, and he loved a Japanese breakfast every morning. If that was the case, shouldn't he be more...adept at using these things?

Ryoma was certainly displaying his lack of ability to use chopsticks. Tezuka had never seen someone use chopsticks like a pair of scissors, or gardening shears. He tried to avert his eyes. It wasn't polite to stare, and he didn't want to make Ryoma feel uneasy by gaping at him. He picked up his own neglected set and began eating.

Tezuka had managed to finish at least three sushis before he chanced another glance at his young pillar. Ryoma was still tackling his first sushi, his chopsticks tearing through the seaweed layer and spilling all the rice and fillings onto his plate. The younger boy frowned as he tried to correct his grip, only to make it worse as his sushi crumbled completely. Within minutes, Ryoma had successfully reduced his sushi into a pile of UFO (Unidentified Flattened Object).

Resigning that his sushi was a lost cause, Ryoma tackled the second piece. He had not improved in the least bit, and the second piece suffered the same fate as its sibling. Tezuka was twitching as the sushi was slowly being torn to bits. Another morsel wasted.

Tezuka tried to reason with his mind before he started assigning laps for wastage. Ryoma was brought up in America. Maybe that's why he wasn't used to holding chopsticks. He was probably more used to the western utensils.

He tried to repeat that in his mind, but as Ryoma mutilated the fourth piece, Tezuka just couldn't bear watching anymore.

Ryoma was down to his last piece, and before he could reach for it, Tezuka's hand moved first, catching it neatly between his chopsticks. The brunette captain then held the sushi before Ryoma in a silent command, which Ryoma understood as he opened his mouth, allowing Tezuka to pop the sushi into his mouth.

Ryoma chewed slowly, his face now wearing the expression of a contented cat. Tezuka averted his eyes when Ryoma flicked one tiny pink tongue out to lick a grain off his lips. He didn't want to be caught staring again. That would be very rude of him. In an attempt to distract himself, he raised a hand and called for another order of sushi. This round, Ryoma didn't even have the chance to touch his chopsticks, for Tezuka was the one picking up the pieces and holding it out before Ryoma. The prodigy raised an eyebrow in silent question, and Tezuka gave him an equally silent stare. 'Just eat.' He didn't have to speak to pass the message. They communicated fairly well without words anyway.

XXX

Later that evening, Ryoma had dropped by Tezuka's house for a study session. Tezuka's mother had insisted that the prodigy stayed for dinner, and Ryoma accepted the offer.

To Tezuka's horror, they were having Japanese dinner that night, and, not surprisingly, the eating utensils were precisely the ones which Tezuka had made a secret promise to himself to keep away from Ryoma, as far away as possible.

Wondering just how was he able to save his young protégé from embarrassing himself, Tezuka was about to open his mouth to suggest that they used forks and spoons instead when he noticed Ryoma, who was seated right next to him, pick up the pair of chopsticks and, after throwing him a mischievous smirk, began eating calmly.

Tezuka found himself staring again, this round at how Ryoma seemed to have experienced a 360 degrees change and was wielding his chopsticks with the same grace as a painter did with a brush. He picked up the food delicately and popped it into his mouth before turning slightly to Tezuka, with one eyebrow raised in question.

It was only then that Tezuka realized that his eyes had not left the boy for a good few minutes, and he quickly busied himself with his own bowl of food, avoiding his mother's curious stare.

Once dinner was done with, Tezuka walked Ryoma out of the house. Before the boy went off, however, Tezuka laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Echizen." 'Just what on earth is going on?' The rest of the words were unspoken.

Ryoma adjusted his cap, the playful twinkle in his catlike eyes back full force. "I was wondering just how many sushis I would have to kill before you'd feed me."

Ah. So Ryoma was being cheeky, as usual. The boy had always been able to use Japanese utensils properly in the first place. Tezuka didn't know whether he wanted to strangle the boy or kiss him. Never in his life would he have thought that he could be tricked by an innocent pair of twigs.

A very faint smile twitched on Tezuka's face for a moment before disappearing. He removed Ryoma's cap and ruffled his hair. "Brat." He said affectionately before replacing the cap on the black-green haired boy's head.

Ryoma's smirk widened slightly. "Mada mada dane, buchou."

::End::

Please Read and Review. No Flames Please.

-Gwyn