[LOG] Tezuka Kunimitsu & Atobe Keigo

[worldofice]

Who: Tezuka Kunimitsu & Atobe Keigo
What: Tea at Atobe's apartment
When: Last week
Where: Mikiya Mansion
Warnings: Roaches.
Rating: PG

Atobe eyed the tea caddy with a critical eye. ‘Caddy’ was perhaps the wrong term for the ornate lacquered box, whose exterior picked out a scene from a traditional Japanese tea house in gold and silver. The contents were small pots of loose leaves from every region of Japan and a few from abroad. When Atobe invited someone for a cup of tea, he meant it to be an indulgence.

Unless of course that individual was Yanagi Renji. After that day’s suggestion about how to indulge in self pleasure, Atobe would offer Rikkaidai’s most studious member a tea bag. With his right hand.

Today’s guest was however someone much for eagerly anticipated. An individual whose proximity almost made up for the squalid living conditions Atobe has subjected himself to when moving into Mikiya Mansion. At least, they would if Atobe knew how to cook.

Arriving later than he had anticipated before thanks to the detour he had had to make to pick up Atobe’s gift Tezuka had stopped only briefly at his own apartment to freshen up and get changed before braving the hallway and taking the few steps necessary to bring him to Atobe’s door. They hadn’t really set a time but he did hate not being punctual. Taking a slow, steadying breath he braced himself for whatever may be laying in wait behind the door and gave a brisk, polite knock. “Atobe?”

“Tezuka.” Atobe had the decency to wait a breath before swinging the door open, as to make it appear that he was not just standing behind it in wait. To be fair, the room was sufficiently small that nearly anywhere was in reach of the door knob. He gestured magnanimously for Tezuka to enter and make himself comfortable on one of the cushions placed around a low table, where the caddy and two cups were situated.

“I trust your day was satisfactory?”

“It was. Thank you for the invitation.” Tezuka inclined his head and passed over the small parcel before stepping inside and giving the comfortably furnished room a quick once over. It really wasn’t what one would usually imagine in connection with the Atobe name but he found he quite liked it. Far less ostentatious and needlessly large for one. “How have you settled in at Mikiya?” He asked, taking one of the seats at the table. Of course the tea “caddy” drew his attention and he almost smiled. You could take Atobe out of his usual habitat but some things would obviously never change. “This is lovely.” He remarked, gesturing to the box.

Atobe smiled at the complement. “Thank you. I believe tea deserves to be displayed in the appropriate ambiance.” He seated himself opposite Tezuka. “Please do select whichever you would like.”

While his guest considered the options, Atobe opened the gift. There was no need for Tezuka to have brought him anything other than his own presence, but there was a protocol for such a meeting. Visitors offered housewarming gifts such as cookies or a vase or … cockroach traps. In mild horror (that steadily deepened) Atobe withdrew a collection of home cockroach deterrents that included small self-assembled house that apparently lured the cockroaches in for their own tea party and snuffed them out. He looked across at Tezuka.

“Is this how you see our own liaison or merely warning of the nights ahead?”

Looking up from inspecting a pot holding a delicate white tea he had been considering Tezuka raised an eyebrow at Atobe’s question, unaware it seemed, of the horror he had brought with him. “I thought they might put your mind at ease.” He replied, spooning a suitable amount of the tea into his cup. “Until the conversation you had with Shishido I have to admit I was largely unaware of the need for items of this kind.” He held off pouring the hot water to wait until Atobe had made his own selection. “I view neither of us as cockroaches, Atobe.” He added, just in case that hadn’t been obvious. Not everybody was as apt at reading between his lines as his close companions.

Atobe had quite gone off the idea of tea after viewing cockroach traps. However, he placed the gift delicately to one side, narrowingly resisting the urge to stuff it under a cushion and wash his hands with bleach. Instead, he selected the same tea as Tezuka and then rose to add hot water from the electric kettle into a teapot that matched the two cups. Bringing this to the table, he poured the water through the tea-laden strainers and inhaled as the leafy aroma filled the small room.

“How long have you now stayed here, Tezuka?” he inquired. Also known as an inquiry into the probability of seeing a cockroach.

Nodding his appreciation for the service Tezuka had to think for a moment. “About one and a half years now.” He estimated finally. “Though I have not spent the entire time here.” In between travelling for tournaments, school and training he barely did anything in the small room aside from sleeping and storing clean clothing.

Picking up his own cup he inhaled the delicate scent curling up in playful wisps of steam. “It is a quiet, relaxing place to live.” As long as everybody adhered to the rules that was but people who didn’t usually didn’t stay for any length of time as far as he could recall.

“And in that time, you have seen how many members of the Blattodea order of insects?” Atobe inquired delicately. He tapped the tea strainer in his cup to let the last water seep through and then moved it aside. The wet tea leaves looked like ground up brown insects. Shifting with the movement, one could easily imagine legs waggling.

“None.” Removing his own strainer Tezuka rested the cup on the table and thoughtfully curled his fingers around it, letting the warmth seep from the ceramic into his digits. “But as as I was told me when I inquired in the store, that does not mean they are not there.”

Atobe’s eyes slid towards his gift, scanning the packaging. “And have you used these particular ones before?” he inquired. He looked again at the box. “It seems that I build them little cardboard houses coated with a sticky substance. The implication is that I must deal with a full tea house of roaches once they are trapped.”

It took all of his immense self control not to shudder. Perhaps it would be acceptable to simply fire bomb the place with the boxes in the room and then simply sweep away the ashes.

“I bought two sets of everything.” Tezuka admitted after taking a delicate sip from his cup. “Since I wasn’t sure what would be most suited to our needs.” Tipping his head he also scanned the packaging and nodded to Atobe’s description. “That seems to be the case.” After all it was unlikely anything existed that could simply make the bugs disappear.

“That is horrifying,” Atobe informed him flatly. “We should fumigate this place weekly and eject any resident who accumulates more than two cockroaches in a fixed window of time.” He tried to sip his tea, but the tendrils of steam reminded him of crushed roach parts. Perhaps he should move in with Sanada. That pet rock of his would make an excellent cockroach crushing device.

“That’s hardly feasible.” Tezuka had no such qualms about the tea and savoured the warmth and the delicate flavour as he sipped at it. “For one it is the landlord who is responsible for such measures as well as for evicting residents. Plus there are most likely cockroaches everywhere in town.” Also the fumes from the fumigation would probably be more damaging to everybody’s health than the bugs themselves. “But if you don’t leave food out you shouldn’t have a problem with seeing them in here.”

For the first time in his life, Atobe was almost regretting inviting Tezuka for tea. “Our landlords allegedly reside in the basement. One must surmise they consider the insect population ‘roomies’.”

He turned his cup around, briefly causing the steam to waver in the opposite direction. Perhaps he should invest in a airtight, double sealed unit for food. He glanced over at the minifridge, humming in the corner. It seemed woefully inadequate. Of course, there was another highly acceptable option.

“Tezuka, we should move in together,” he said crisply. “You can deal with the cockroaches. I will provide the tea.”

Ah, there it was - if under a rather unexpected premise. “That is a generous offer Atobe.” Tezuka drained the rest of his tea and set the cup down. “But I am not going to move in with you.” Fixing his former rival with a steady look he waited until that had sunk in before continuing. “However if you do find you absolutely require assistance I am next door and I’ll help if I can. I hope that is acceptable for you?” After all he had no interest in seeing Atobe or anybody else suffer and it would rather be a pity if the sheltered young man across from him decided to give up on the world of regular people - though becoming self-reliant, in ways of bug removal as well as other areas was a prerequisite and could only be beneficial.

This was dissatisfying on levels stretching from revolting bugs to pristine tennis players. That was all the levels. This was dissatisfying in every possible way. “I cannot come round to your room in an unfit state in the middle of the night,” Atobe told Tezuka, crisply. At least, not in the direction towards Tezuka’s rooms and due to a cockroach. “We shall have to place a door between our rooms.”

Technically, this rather violated the point of living in the apartment complex to experience its current attraction, but exceptions would have to be made. “Your bonsai would get more light,” he finished.

It seemed like more tea was needed and Tezuka refilled his sieve before retrieving more hot water. “There is a door.” He pointed out with little hope of it actually making any difference. “Two in fact. And once again I have to point out that putting a door in is something you would at least require the landlord’s permission for.” Pointing this out he hoped quietly that the odd pair of owners would not just let Atobe walk all over them. “It would be quite an inconvenience for the duration of the alteration as well.” Maybe the dust and the noise would deter Atobe from his new plan.

That was one door too many to be acceptable. Actually, it was two doors too many, but the plan of no doors had been vetoed. Atobe was about to make a dismissive gesture regarding Tezuka’s weak concerns, when thoughts of what the disruption would do the cockroach population sank in. If the vile creatures were living in the walls and the wall was knocked down, then they could be walking on roaches for weeks. Atobe wouldn’t put it past Mikiya Mansion to be relying on roach compression for its weight-bearing walls.

He made a noise of grudging consent. “I acknowledge your point.”

Perhaps he could just buy the entire complex and then Tezuka would be living in his house. A pleasing concept, even if it didn’t tackle the main issues. “How is your shoulder nowadays?” Try as he might, Atobe could not avoid feeling the slight twinge of guilt at the question. He had not been the one to cause Tezuka’s original injury, but the game with him during Seigaku’s push to the nationals had certainly exacerbated it.

Pleasantly surprised at Atobe’s easy acquiescence Tezuka sipped his tea while his host was lost in his own thoughts. The question about his shoulder was out of context but not unexpected and he once again fixed the other man with a firm, yet understanding gaze. “It’s not preventing me from playing.” He informed Atobe boldly, eschewing the usual ‘it’s fine’ response he would usually give. He did not hold his former rival responsible but it seemed Hyoutei’s former captain still did. “We should play.” He suggested, before Atobe could either continue down this road or turn a 180 and return to his cockroach hysteria.

“Hnn,” a smile curved Atobe’s mouth as he acknowledged the invitation with a minor inclination of his head. “If you believe you can manage it.” A generous interpretation would be that Atobe was acknowledging Tezuka’s heavy time constraints as he balanced both college courses and a pro career. A more likely one was that Atobe was happy to claim his skills on the court to be at professional standard. The true one was that this time when Atobe aimed for a long match, he was picturing one in which he and Tezuka played alone until mid-August.

“I do.” After all he wouldn’t have offered otherwise. “It will be good practice for the tournament at Waseda.” He would just have to make sure not to overdo things - again. “Just let me know what time would be good for you.” Predictably Tezuka blithely ignored any meaning Atobe’s words might have held beyond their face value.

With the question of tennis settled, his gift presented and any question regarding potential cohabitation dealt with the brunette drained the last of his tea and gently placed it on the table. “Thank you for the invitation.” He announced and pushed away from the edge to get to his feet. “Maybe you would like to come and have tea with me some other time.” It was after all only the polite thing to offer.

With his guest rising to stand, decorum dicated Atobe do the same. He also rose and acknowledged Tezuka’s invitation. “It would be my pleasure,” he told him. “And your own schedule is liable to be more unpredictable than my own. You may set a time for tennis.” After all, other plans could be cancelled. Along with meals, sleep and minor university examinations. “Until next time.”

Stopping at the door Tezuka half turned and nodded to show his acknowledgment of Atobe’s courtesy. “I will.” He assured the other man, then, because it had been on his mind on and off he added. “I am pleased you will be living here.” Ducking his head in a short bow goodbye he opened the door and disappeared outside.