Work Text:
Date Trail - a Changechildren side story (Prince of Tennis)
By Haruka (haruka@ymail.com)
--
Mizuki Hajime smiled as he saw his boyfriend, Kajimoto Takahisa, walk into the Changechildren mansion. "Well, hello there, handsome!" he greeted, and was about to put his arms around him when he noticed his sour expression. "What's wrong?"
"Youhei said at practice that he and Tom are going out tonight," Takahisa said grumpily.
"So what? They've been dating for a little while already, they've got out before."
"Not alone, they haven't," he said. "They've doubled with Kouhei and Terry, but they haven't gone off alone before."
"I'm sure it'll be fine." Mizuki gave him an encouraging smile. "After all, they both come back here, right? Tom's not going to do anything stupid when he has to answer to Youhei's mother and father here in this house."
"Maybe, but you're assuming they'd find out about it. Youhei may not tell them."
"Well …," Mizuki twirled a lock of hair around his finger thoughtfully, "how about if we follow them? That would reassure you, right?"
"Have you forgotten Youhei's power? His senses are too keen – he'd see us."
"Nfu!" Mizuki giggled and trailed a finger down the bridge of Takahisa's nose, then tapped the tip of it. "You're forgetting MY power!"
--
It was fortunate for Mizuki and Takahisa that Tom and Youhei took the bus for their date, because that way they could do the same and keep up with them. Takahisa didn't feel right about sneaking onto the bus without paying, but as he and Mizuki were invisible, there was no choice.
"Relax," Mizuki murmured to him. "Just don't let go of my hand."
Takahisa knew that if he DID let go, he'd instantly become visible, as it was only Mizuki's Invisibility power keeping them from being detected. He also knew that although Youhei and Tom were obviously occupied with their own conversation, and the bus was noisy, he had to be careful. His little brother's power of Heightened Senses meant he could hear them whispering ten blocks away if he wasn't distracted. He decided to take Mizuki's advice and not speak unless he had to.
They got off at the mall, and Tom and Youhei went straight to the food court. "Cheap date," Takahisa couldn't help murmuring to Mizuki, who nodded and giggled. The mall was even noisier than the bus, and his brother didn't seem to have heard him.
"I'm hungry, too," Mizuki whispered suddenly, eyeing the different food options with interest.
"We can't be invisible and buy food," Takahisa pointed out. "We'll have to wait."
Mizuki pouted, then yelped as someone bumped into them, not having been able to see them. He was about to yell at the guy, but Takahisa pulled him aside to let the confused guy keep walking.
"I guess we need to remember that Tom and Youhei aren't the only ones who can't see us," Takahisa said.
"Hmmph!" Mizuki sniffed, but couldn't come up with an argument.
The two of them didn't dare sit at a table in case someone tried to sit on top of them, so they pressed themselves back against a wall and waited while Tom and Youhei ate delicious-looking burgers and fries. Takahisa growled when Tom began feeding the fries to Youhei one at a time, and his brother would lick Tom's fingers, their eyes locked together.
"It's not just my imagination, is it?" Takahisa muttered. "Youhei is …."
"Yes, he's being very suggestive." Privately, Mizuki was peeved that he hadn't thought of trying it first.
Things didn't get any better in Takahisa's opinion as Tom and Youhei headed for the movie theatre, their arms around each other with their hands in one another's back pocket.
"I can't believe my brother is acting like this!" Takahisa hissed, keeping his voice as low as he could. "And that boyfriend of his! I thought he was a gentleman!"
"Then why did we even come?" Mizuki was half-excited at seeing Youhei's behaviour, since anything that disenchanted Takahisa with his little brothers was okay with him. On the other hand, it was aggravating to see these two being more romantic than he and Takahisa.
It figured that the movie Tom and Youhei were going to see was the one that Takahisa and Mizuki had seen the previous week (and Mizuki hadn't liked it that much.) Now they had to go in a second time.
Takahisa chose their seats, several rows behind his brother but still where he had a clear view. The smell of popcorn was making Mizuki ravenous, but Takahisa was too focused on the couple a few rows down to think about being hungry.
"Why do they need popcorn when they just ate?" Takahisa murmured.
"Don't know, don't care," Mizuki replied waspishly. Hunger was making him cranky.
When the lights came down and the movie started, Takahisa watched with fire in his eyes as Youhei fed pieces of popcorn to Tom. "They're DOING it again!" he seethed.
Mizuki didn't reply. He had decided to nap through the movie and let Takahisa worry about his brother on his own. He was fairly comfortable until a low-grade rumbling under his feet startled him awake. He took in the scene instantly; Youhei and Tom necking rather than watching the movie, and Takahisa glaring daggers at them while losing control of his power. Mizuki pinched his arm. "Stop it!" he hissed. "You're shaking the theatre!"
Takahisa quickly put a chokehold on his Earth power and the rumbling stopped. Other people in the theatre looked relieved, but the couple that was their focus didn't seem to have noticed.
"If you're not able to keep it together, we should leave," Mizuki warned him. "At this rate, they're going to discover us, anyway."
"Not the way they're wrapped up in each other," his boyfriend said dryly. "I'm not leaving until they do."
Mizuki endured the rest of the movie, grateful that Youhei and Tom stopped making out and settled for snuggling as close as they could get.
After the movie, they followed the other two home. Mizuki was tired of having to whisper, so he said nothing. It's not as if Takahisa would have heard him, anyway; he was preoccupied with keeping the ground from swallowing Tom whole as he and Youhei gazed into each other's eyes for the entire bus ride.
--
Finally, we're back, Mizuki thought. He had decided that there was nothing more boring than watching OTHER people having a fun date. He was tired, hungry, and stressed from having to maintain invisibility over himself and Takahisa for so long. As far as he was concerned, he could legitimately bow out of Power Practice for an entire week after this.
They were following thirty feet behind Tom and Youhei as the pair approached the front door of the mansion. "I should confront them now, before we go inside," Takahisa murmured.
"Good idea!" said Youhei loudly, spinning around. "You may as well show yourselves, I know you're there."
Mizuki released Takahisa's hand and both of them became visible. "I TOLD you he would hear us!" Mizuki snapped.
"Actually, I smelled that lilac hand cream of yours before we even got on the bus to go to the mall." Youhei crossed his arms and glared at his brother. "I don't blame Mizuki because he probably just did it for fun –"
"Ha!" Mizuki sniffed, conveniently forgetting that following them had been his idea. "As if tonight was fun!"
Youhei rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Niisan, I just want to know why you had to do this surveillance at all. Don't you trust me?"
"I DID," Takahisa stated hotly, "but after the way you were all over him and let him be all over you –"
Tom shook his head. "Youhei suggested we overplay it for your benefit to get back at you for tailing us."
"Oh." Takahisa turned red. "Well, I wish you'd found some other means of revenge."
"If you prefer, I could tell Kaasan how you followed us all night and that both of you abused your powers," Youhei suggested mischievously. "Don't think we didn't feel that earthquake in the theatre."
Mizuki interrupted and covered Takahisa's mouth. "No, he's fine, no additional punishment necessary." He lowered his voice to a mutter, "Especially for ME."
"Good. Come on, Tom, I think we'll be enjoying hassle-free dates from now on." Youhei hooked his arm in the older boy's and they went inside.
"Maybe I should have followed Kouhei and Terry instead," Takahisa wondered out loud.
"Good luck with that." Mizuki headed for the door. "I'M going to get something to eat!"
--
Theme: Blind
Prompt: Any, any, just because you can't see them doesn't mean they aren't there
(2012)
Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi Takeshi.
This fic is not to be re-posted.