[log] Sanada & Yukimura
Apr. 17th, 2018 09:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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tennis_hellWho: Sanada Genichirou & Yukimura Seiichi
What: The long-awaited make-up talk
When: April 4th, right after this
Where: Yukimura's apartment
Rating: PG
Sanada was ridiculously easy to bait. So much so that Yukimura almost felt guilty after posting about his match with Tezuka. Granted, he was thankful for the match. It had helped re-confirm that he was good enough to keep playing at a professional level.
Though, he hadn't actually expected Sanada to message him about coming over. Yukimura figured they would just continue to be cordial in comments to one another until things just naturally fell back into place. Instead, he was picking up his apartment, shoving his still-unpacked suitcase into the closet and halfway making his bed. On the plus side, Sanada wouldn't be there for at least another 30 minutes, which also gave Yukimura time to prepare tea. It was a given that whatever was going to happen would be absolutely awkward, so he wanted something to do with his hands that wouldn't be too much of a distraction.
Every moment that brought him closer to Yukimura’s apartment made Sanada regret his decision to ask to meet Yukimura. He missed his friend and didn’t like fighting with him so reaching out to properly fix things seemed the right thing to do. But he also still felt the fight started because of Yukimura. And the reasons for the fight were still there and Sanada wasn’t sure he wanted to talk about it. Well, he supposed talking about Kirihara’s atrocious online grammar and why they shouldn’t encourage it would be fine. But he definitely wasn’t ready to talk about the French floozy.
He wasn’t a coward though so Sanada gave himself a manly pep talk and strode the last few steps down the street and to Yukimura’s apartment. They’d been friends for as long as Sanada could remember and that meant working through problems and not just ignoring them. At least that’s he told himself as he knocked before letting himself into Yukimura’s place. "Hello," He called out in greeting.
Tea in hand, Yukimura was sitting on the floor practicing some meditation techniques he had learned from his coach when he heard Sanada's footsteps on the stairs leading up to his apartment. He waited until Sanada spoke to open his eyes and look at his friend. "Hey," he said, thumbs already rubbing small circles on the mug he had taken for himself.
This was stupid, he thought. Yukimura didn't know if they were going to talk about the actual problem. If they didn't, he wasn't sure how they could actually fix anything since there would be that underlying thing that made a disagreement into a full blown argument. He gestured to an empty mug opposite him. "I made tea."
"Ah... thank you," Sanada said somewhat stiltedly as he finished placing his shoes neatly in the genkan. He walked over to Yukimura and sat down on the floor opposite him before accepting the tea. He took a moment to look over Yukimura, pleased to see that he looked healthy and well because even if he was angry at the other man, he didn’t truly want Yukimura to suffer. Still, he wasn’t sure where to start and couldn’t recall when being in Yukimura’s presence ever felt this uncomfortable. So to buy himself some time, he took a sip of his tea and then took a moment to appreciate it before taking a second sip.
It almost felt as though Yukimura was back in America with how far apart they were. He adjusted the sweater on his shoulders to give him a sense of protection. "Your hanami picture was nice." If Yukimura ignored the rock and looked at the upper two-thirds of the photo. He glanced at Sanada, trying to see if he could notice a physical difference that their mutual silent treatments had caused, but it was hard to tell given how the other man normally looked.
"I have things other than tea if you aren't a fan of that," he said, taking a drink. Like Yanagi, he knew Sanada was a fan of more bland-tasting teas and not ones with fruit or floral overtones or slightly on the sweeter side. "Help yourself, if you want. You know where everything is."
"I have some more if you’d like to see them." Ones where he focused more on the sakura and other flowers blooming in the park. Because even angry with Yukimura, old habits died hard and he was well trained to take photos of flowers. "And perhaps I’ll see what you have." Sanada would drink the tea out of politeness but he was thankful that Yukimura was giving him a way out of it. It was fine for what it was. But it would never be his first choice for tea flavours. He stood and brought his cup to the kitchen and fussed over cleaning it before looking around the kitchen at the options that were on hand. It was strange to be so familiar with somewhere but not feel as welcomed in that space as he was used to. And he wasn’t sure if the discomfort was coming from Yukimura, himself, or a combination of the both.
"Maybe in a little while," Yukimura said. He really did want to see the pictures. Sanada might not be gifted at the whole online journal thing, but he knew how to take a nice picture.
He turned slightly to watch Sanada look through his cabinets. It wasn't hard to miss the expression that came over the other man whenever he came into Yukimura's apartment. "You can clean it later if you really feel like it." Yukimura was absolutely convinced Sanada would, one day, make a very good house-husband to some incredibly successful woman with how skilled he was at most things domestic.
"It’s polite to clean up after yourself," Sanada said. It’s not like he had started doing all of the dishes yet though he had considered it and he was sure that Yukimura hadn’t cleaned up before he came over so much as shoved everything out of sight somewhere. It’s what Sasuke always did or at least tried to do but he still had his mother to chastise him for doing such things.
Sanada was just about to make himself a cup of nice and simple green tea when he caught sight of the sake he had bought Yukimura for his birthday. He knew Yukimura was not likely to drink it but it was the traditional gift for a twentieth birthday and Sanada had figured he and Yanagi would find a time to enjoy it together one day. He was sure Yanagi wouldn’t hold it against him if he started on the bottle without him. He’d heard alcohol referred to as liquid courage and while Sanada did not doubt his own strength and bravery, a little more wouldn’t hurt. He took the sake bottle and a suitable cup from the kitchen and went back to join Yukimura. "You don’t mind, do you?" If Yukimura did, he would switch back to his first choice of green tea.
Yukimura tried not to roll his eyes. Sanada was a guest, he didn't need or have to pick up after himself. "You'll survive not doing it this one time." Maybe. He knew Sanada had a hard time not doing certain things.
Spying the sake, Yukimura shrugged. "You know I can't drink it, so knock yourself out." Even if he could, he wasn't terribly fond of the smell of alcohol and wouldn't drink anyway. It had been a thoughtful, if overly traditional, gift. Sanada could drink the whole thing if he wanted. Turning back to the table, Yukimura refilled his tea and waited for Sanada to get himself situated.
Sanada sat and made himself comfortable before pouring himself a small cup of sake. He held it in his hands but didn’t drink yet, wondering what he should say next. He was the one that asked to come over, so he felt the burden of leading the conversation would fall to him. But he wasn’t exactly sure where to start or what to say. "Seiichi," He said and then fell quiet again as he finally took a sip of the sake, only just refraining from making a face at the strength of it.
Yukimura raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what Sanada was about to say, so he took a drink of tea and looked at him over the brim of the mug. "There's no rush," he said. "If I run out of tea, I can make more." He absolutely was not going to be the first one to make a concession. Of course, once Sanada made the first move, he'd respond in kind.
Sanada frowned at that and then sighed. He fussed with refilling his cup even though he had barely taken a sip and then tried again. "Seiichi," He paused and stared intently at his friend before finding the wall off to the side rather interesting. "I’m glad you’re home." Probably not what he was meant to say in this circumstance but at least it was true.
Yukimura didn't quite know how to respond. He was happy to be home, sure, but he really wanted to be at a tennis tournament, winning. "So am I," he eventually said. "My plants and flowers missed me. Shiraishi is a wonderful plant-sitter, but it's not quite the same." He was happy to see his friends and family though. With maybe one or two exceptions. "I hope you had a good break from school."
Sanada nodded and took another sip of his sake. "I spent some time with friends. And of course focused on my training." That went without saying but Sanada wasn’t used to silence around Yukimura feeling so strange and felt the need to fill it with something. "The World Championship is coming up so I’ve been working on refining certain techniques."
"Good luck at the championship," Yukimura told him. The best part about kendo, in his opinion, were the hakama, but only if the rest of the outfit was missing. There was just something sensual about a shirtless man wearing pants that exposed a slight amount of hip. He made a mental note to look up poses and do some sketches later. It would be rude to do it now.
Yukimura looked at the sake bottle and wondered if it would be empty before Sanada had said anything. "...I'm kind of surprised you asked to come over," he said.
"Thank you," Sanada said and then took a drink from his cup before he attempted to answer Yukimura’s implied question of why he had asked to come over. "You’re my friend. And I missed you while you were away..." Tezuka was fine company but Atobe left a little to be desired and Yanagi seemed annoyed with him and had run away to Tohoku. It really was nice to have his best friend back even if everything was awkward right now.
Yukimura knew how much kendo meant to Sanada, so he did hope that his friend did well in the tournament. It wasn't tennis, but Sanada had heard his complaints many times over the years. "We both know that's not the reason," he said. He finished the rest of his mug and filled it back up with tea. "Or at least, not the main reason."
Sanada watched as Yukimura poured himself more tea and frowned as he caught sight of the ring. He had thought it was just a joke as Yukimura was just as prone to teasing in his own way as Niou was. He frowned and forced his eyes away from the ring to look back at his sake. He finished off the sake in his cup and poured himself more as he searched for words that wouldn’t upset the balance. "No, it’s not... I don’t like how he we fought." It’s not as if they had never fought in their many years of friendship. But this one was definitely the worst. Made even more so by the distance separating them.
Yukimura hadn't been fond of it either. Namely because of Kirihara. It should have been private or over the phone or anything else other than where everyone could see it. Unfortunately, what was done was done. He didn't have time travel powers to change the method of his communication. "Me neither." If he had been home, Yukimura would have just challenged him to tennis and thrashed him. "It was immature from both of us, but it was probably long overdue."
Sanada had been nodding along but looked up in surprise at the last part. "Long overdue?" He didn’t know how that was the case seeing as the fight was about Kirihara’s poor grammar skills online and Yukimura’s public declaration of bedding some floozy French man.
Yukimura nodded. Exceptionally overdue. "I don't know," he said with a shrug. "Sometimes it feels like people still walk on eggshells around me. Especially you." He just wanted people to treat him how they had before he got sick with the natural changes that time brought. "In this particular instance though, I just got annoyed. You're being too hard on Akaya for his personal preferences. Everyone else does perfectly fine understanding his typing. It's purely you being an ass. And as for Adrian..." He paused and took a sip of tea. "What I do and with whom is really none of your business. You've never been like this with people I've dated previously. I'm happy, which is really all that should matter." Sure, he got incredibly petty after their fight and posted things on purpose, but to be fair, that was also what was going on in his life at the time. It wasn't completely his fault Sanada got all huffy.
"So you wanted to fight with me because I care too much about you?" Sanada asked not comprehending at all. He may fuss over Yukimura a little more than he did Yanagi but Yanagi didn’t get so wrapped up in projects he forgot to eat or take important medicines. And he was always there to support Yukimura in everything he wanted to try or do even when it made him worry and keep him awake at night because he never wanted to be the one to put the same look on Yukimura’s face as the doctors who told him he wouldn’t be able to play tennis for at least several months did.
Still in disbelief at the accusation, he poured himself more sake and drank it down. "And Kirihara doesn’t need you to defend him. I found it annoying to read. I asked him to stop. He agreed to do it when talking to me. I didn’t tell him he had to stop it with everyone else he talked to." He thought Kirihara should use proper language skills since he was a public figure and a role model. But he had refrained from going that far because he knew that it wasn’t his business how Kirihara talked to other friends.
And as for Adrian... Well, that tied back into the first point in a way and there was no way that Yukimura would want to hear about that half but if he wanted to keep poking at the issue then Sanada would, too. "You’ve never dated someone halfway around the world and you’ve never felt the need to send me half naked photos of them in bed either." Sanada had not enjoyed opening up his journal and seeing so much of Adrian on it. He was used to Yukimura’s art having people in various stages of undress but even he couldn’t pretend that’s what Adrian in a rumpled bed was.
"There's a fine line," Yukimura started, grip around the mug tightening slightly, "between caring and being suffocatingly overprotective." Of course, he appreciated Sanada's friendship, but he was also an adult and could take care of himself. Regarding Kirihara, "It's a silly thing to get uptight about," he said with a sigh. "Akaya's social media doesn't have to be formal." Their kouhai had many fans, most of which couldn't care less about his lack of capitalization, grammar, punctuation, or spelling. Sometimes Sanada was too traditional.
Yukimura glanced at the now half-empty sake bottle then back to Sanada. "I didn't send them directly to you," he said firmly. "I posted them on my journal where everyone could see. My entries aren't for your eyes only, Genichirou. The issues you have with my relationship are ones you need to come to terms with on your own time. It isn't fair for me to withhold parts my my life I want to share because you will be upset."
"If there’s a fine line then I think you’re crossing it with Akaya. We spoke, we came to a compromise, we’re both fine with it," Sanada said. He reached for the sake bottle but then put it down without pouring any more of it. "And you know what, maybe getting them sent directly to me would have been better. I’m your friend. I shouldn’t have to find out about things that are apparently important to you the same time as everyone else. And I don’t like him because if he hurts you, I can’t do anything about it. I don’t care if Renji cleared him, I don’t know him and I don’t like that and I don’t like not being able to be there for you even if you say I’m suffocating you." He couldn’t help but huff at that because he still didn’t see how he was suffocating Yukimura. It’s not as if he had leased an apartment across the street from him and brought him home cooked meals twice a day. He had admittedly considered it once or twice but never more than in a passing moment of ridiculousness.
"I won't disagree with you about Akaya," Yukimura admitted. "Though, I think the same could be said for all of our former teammates." They had done a lot of damage in junior high and he was of the opinion that they needed to make up for it in any way possible. Yukimura was immensely proud of Kirihara, so of course he wanted to support him.
There was a lot to unpack with Sanada's mini tirade. Yukimura tended to dive right in and explain things later which always annoyed those closest to him. "Would it make you feel better if you met him?" he asked quietly.
"You spoil them," Sanada said thinking about how much Yukimura indulged all of their former teammates. Former opponents wouldn’t believe that Yukimura could be so gentle and charming off of the courts but nobody on Rikkai would expect any different... at least when not on the court. Tennis brought out a whole different side to Yukimura and Sanada smiled fondly at how ruthless Yukimura could be on the court even as he internally cringed at the thought of meeting stupid Adrian.
Sanada reached across the table to take Yukimura’s left hand in his and rubbed his thumb gently across the ring on Yukimura’s finger. "No. Meeting him would not make me feel better." Not unless he was allowed to drag him into the dojo for a round or five of kendo. But Sanada was pretty sure that Yukimura would veto that idea before it could even be fully voiced.
Yukimura smiled briefly. "I don't see any reason why I shouldn't." He was successful and wanted to share that with his friends. There was nothing wrong with that, in his opinion. They had supported him at his lowest point and continued to do so. He considered it one of the ways to say thank you.
"You'll have to at some point," Yukimura told him, watching as Sanada messed with the ring on his finger. "I would appreciate it if my best friend was at least somewhat approving." Though he doubted Sanada would approve of anyone. For Yukimura or Yanagi... or anyone else on their former team.
Sanada just shook his head fondly at Yukimura not seeing a problem with spoiling everyone and played with Yukimura’s ring a bit longer before looking up at him. "I’m selfish and jealous. He’d have to rescue kittens from a burning building before he even stands a chance." The bar for anyone ever being near worthy of Yukimura and therefore of his approval was set so high that Sanada suspected few would ever come close to touching it.
Selfish and jealous? Yukimura blinked. That was... not what he expected to hear. "Well, I don't see that happening. I'd really rather him not risk his life," he said, finishing the rest of his tea and setting the mug aside. "Adrian isn't going to prevent me from spending time with my friends. Even the ridiculously stubborn ones. But my friends can't be stingy and want me all to themselves either." There had to be some kind of compromise.
"I share you with Renji," Sanada said. He knew he was pouting slightly but couldn’t bring himself to care enough to stop. He finally let go of Yukimura’s hand with a final gentle squeeze and toyed with his sake glass instead. "And what about adept at a Japanese sport, skilled at calligraphy and knowledgeable about art?" None of those would risk delicate French boy’s life and would help him inch towards worthiness. And the first two pursuits would be best obtained while in Japan. No need to spend half the year in France.
Yukimura gave him a stern look. "Really, Genichirou, you're acting like a child. Learn to share better," he said. He considered Sanada's proposal for a moment. "I suppose I could ask Tezuka if he would be willing to give Adrian some judo lessons. He's already knowledgeable with art, so that's a point in his favor. Calligraphy isn't a big leap from that." If it helped Sanada feel better about the whole thing, then he guessed it couldn't hurt that much.
"Judo?!" Sanada said distracted by the chastising by the horrors of someone choosing judo over any other Japanese sport. "Are you trying to make me hate the man?" And then to have Tezuka teach him? Tezuka was a horrible student of judo as he was much more interested in tennis. So Adrian’s judo would end up mediocre at best and that was just rubbing salt into wounds at that point. "Kendo would be best. Though I suppose kyudo is fine, too." Sanada had always had a weak spot for the precision and tradition of Japanese archery. "Judo..." He muttered to himself while shaking his head in disbelief. The nerve.
Yukimura couldn't help it. He burst out laughing and rested his head on the table to try and calm himself down. "No," he said between breaths. "Why would I want that?" The look on Sanada's face plus his tone had been too much. Once his breathing was back under control, he lifted his head. "You only want kendo so you can win. I'll talk to him about kyudo. Unless you'd rather try and best him at fencing." Sanada would probably do well at that too. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned anything with sword-like combat items.
Sanada didn’t get what was so funny but he gave a small chuckle anyway and then smirked. "I’ll beat him no matter what he picks." He had experience with all manner of Japanese sports while he suspected the French guy did not. "And fencing is not Japanese... though it is an okay sport." Sanada had a soft spot for any sword based activity.
"I'll see when he can fly out then," Yukimura said, resting his chin in his hand. Golden Week would probably be the best since most everyone would be off or out of school. "Alternatively, you could just Turkish oil wrestle." Voyeuristic and fun. Namely for him. "Or sword fight. With toy swords." He didn't trust Sanada not to try to cut off Adrian's head if they used real ones.
Sanada wondered when he agreed to meet the French floozy but decided that was something to figure out at another time. With luck, the guy would be too busy to fly out any time before the year 2030. He copied Yukimura’s pose, leaning onto the table as he considered sword fighting with toy swords and gave a small laugh. He only did that sort of thing with his niece and youngest nephew. "What’s Turkish oil wrestling?" He imagined it involved oil and some form of wrestling but had never heard of it.
Yukimura grinned. "The combatants are shirtless and covered in olive oil. They wrestle until one of them is able to grab hold of this special leather undergarment." He mainly liked it because the wrestlers were muscular and the oil highlighted that. "Unfortunately, I think it's a bit too cold for that right now, but maybe in the summer." Sanada would do well at it, considering his judo training and musculature.
"Special leather undergarment sounds uncomfortable," Sanada said. Though the rest of it seemed fine. Who didn’t enjoy a good grapple for sport and the oil would just add an extra challenge to it. But covered in oil and trying to grab some weird leather underwear thing did sound a bit strange. But sumo wrestlers also got a bit handsy down below when trying to get each other out of the ring so maybe it wasn’t completely strange. Sanada contemplated oil wrestling while he topped up his sake cup, spilling a little by accident. "Sorry about that." He’d clean it up when he finally put away the sake and cup. At least if Yukimura let him and didn’t judge him for wanting things tidy.
"You wear fundoshi," Yukimura countered. "Not everyone finds that comfortable." He definitely didn't. While he wasn't sure about the leather underwear, if it was used often, it might be more supple than stiff. "Watch some videos on it later. It's interesting."
Yukimura watched Sanada with the sake, raising his eyebrows at the slight spill. He didn't look affected by the drink except for the faint pink dusting his cheeks. "Maybe you should stop," he suggested. "It would be unfortunate if you spilled anymore."
"Fundoshi is perfectly comfortable when worn correctly," Sanada said almost automatically. Just because something was traditional didn’t mean it was outdated and uncomfortable. Not that he wore it every day either. It was important to balance tradition and modern practicality at times. "And you’re giving me homework?" He would have to remember to watch this oil wrestling and read up on this weird leather underwear thing later, especially if he was going to challenge Adrian to a duel.
As for the sake, well, Sanada looked at it and then oh so carefully put the lid back on to it. He then gave Yukimura a satisfied nod. He may question Yukimura’s taste in men, but his advice on not being wasteful was perfectly sound.
"For you," Yukimura reiterated. He really wasn't fond of all the effort it took to put one on correctly when slipping into a pair of boxer briefs was so much quicker and easier. Shaking his head at Sanada's question, he said, "Only watch if you want. No homework."
After Sanada had stoppered the alcohol, Yukimura grabbed the bottle and put it on the floor next to him. Considering the other man's reflexes were not quite 100% anymore, it was for the best.
"Perhaps my ass is just better suited for wearing it," Sanada said. He’d been told on more than one occasion that he wore it well. Though a couple of those compliments may have been more sarcastic but he was sure that one from Atobe was just because he was envious of his muscles. "And I’ll watch it." He now considered learning this oil wrestling thing a challenge and he never backed down from a worthy challenge. And challenges from Yukimura were worthy of his time.
"Don't get too cocky, Gen-chan." Yukimura did think Sanada had a better ass than most people, but he didn't want it to go to Sanada's head, lest he turn into Atobe and start spouting about his physical prowess or some other crap like that. "Whenever you get to watch, I hope you enjoy it. I think you'd appreciate the wrestlers in terms of strength."
Sanada gave a snort at the advice and the pet name that really only his family and Yukimura could get away calling him by. "Whatever you say, Sei-chan," Sanada said back with a grin feeling bold enough to tease. "And I’m still wondering about this leather underwear thing. Perhaps it can be changed to fundoshi for when I challenge your French man to a Turkish oil wrestling match." He would even give Adrian a chance to redeem himself and make it the best two out of three sports. It also gave him multiple chances to defeat the guy so that definitely put a smile on his face.
Yukimura shook his head. "That's cheating. You can't make it lopsided in your favor," he said then shot Sanada a look. "You know, it would go a long way if you stopped calling him 'French man' or whatever other nicknames you probably have for him." If or when Sanada ever got a partner, he wouldn't refer to them like that. Even if he didn't like them. Civility was appreciated.
"I don’t see how it’s cheating. If you’re worried it’s going to fall off because he can’t tie it, I can help him." And he would make sure it was nice and tightly done so that Yukimura couldn’t say that Sanada had given himself an advantage. "You should be happy I remembered where he’s from..." Sanada paused and then sighed before he conceded that it was a pathetic excuse and that Yukimura was right. It was rude to avoid using his name out loud. "What’s his last name?" If he was going to use his name, he was going to put as much distance and formality between him and the guy as Yukimura would let him get away with.
"That isn't the reason. You would have an unfair advantage since you are used to wearing them. Therefore wearing the leather undergarment would make it an even playing field." Yukimura rolled his eyes. It was absolutely childish for Sanada to continue acting this way and he was getting mad all over again. "Deschamps," he replied. "Both s' are silent and the p is a soft, barely there sound." He hoped his pronunciation helped Sanada be able to get it right.
Sanada didn’t really think that would give him an advantage but decided to withdraw from the battlefield until he saw what this leather underwear thing was like. And he could always convince Adrian that fundoshi was better and just bypass Yukimura. Instead, Sanada focused on his last name. No S sound and only a soft P. He could do this. "Dayshammmp?" He asked trying his best to get it right even if he didn’t think it sounded quite like what Yukimura said. He really wished other countries had a more sensible alphabet and sound system like Japan.
Yukimura put a hand over his mouth to stop from giggling. It was a decent first attempt. "Not bad. It's... close-ish," he said. "You have time to work on it though. I still have trouble with some words and I'm a little more experienced than you are." A lot more experienced, but he didn't want to bruise Sanada's pride too much. It also didn't help that there was sake interfering with his brain.
Close-ish? Well that wasn’t good enough. If he didn’t want Yukimura to think he was purposefully insulting his idiotic bed warmer then he had to get it right. "Duuchimmmp?" He asked. And then frowned because even to him that sounded worse than the first attempt.
Oh gods, that was bad. Yukimura shook his head. "The first time was closer than whatever you just tried to say." He leaned over to his bookshelf, grabbing a sketchbook and pencil. Opening to a new page, he spelled out Adrian's last name on the paper (D-E-S-C-H-A-M-P-S) then how to (try to) pronounce it underneath (Day-shaaaahmm). "I appreciate you trying, Genichirou," he said sincerely.
Sanada sighed and watched as Yukimura got out paper and at first wondered if the inspiration to draw suddenly took him when he started writing letters instead. Ah, a French lesson. And apparently there were S’s in the mans name. That seemed strange. Why put so many extra letters into your name if you weren’t going to say them? He was just about to try and say it again when Yukimura’s words registered and he glanced up at him and gave him a soft smile. "It’s rude to say someone’s name wrong... and I’m not trying to make you angry." He reached out across the table where Yukimura’s left hand rested and brushed his fingers against the ring there again. "But I still think Dayshaaamm-san is completely unworthy of you." Yukimura was far too special to be wasted on the first French floozy with abs that came by.
"Much better. You can serve first when we play tennis next," Yukimura said, reaching up with his free hand to ruffle Sanada's hair. Sanada trying, even at this barest of minimums, was a good sign. He really did want them to get along. If Kirihara could manage, then so could his best friend. "To be fair, you think most people are unworthy of me." It was sweet, in a way, but he was more than capable of making his own decisions regarding relationships.
Sanada gave Yukimura a big smile as he ruffled his hair and leaned a bit more on the table, nearly tipping his sake cup in the process. "It’s because you’re special. So you deserve someone special in return." Maybe a doctor. Who was proficient in martial arts and grew up on a farm... and of course played tennis in school.
"Yes, yes, so you keep saying." Yukimura withdrew his hand from Sanada's hair and grabbed the sake cup, placing it next to the half-empty bottle sitting on the floor. "Being special is like beauty, it's in the eye of the beholder and I think Adrian's special like you think I am."
Sanada frowned and made a poor attempt at getting his sake back. "I was drinking that," He said. And he was definitely not pouting. "And plenty of people would agree with me that you’re special." At the very least rest of the old team would and he was sure anyone who had ever shared a class or club with Yukimura would, too. Sanada had yet to see something that Yukimura couldn’t do well. He doubted Adrian would have so many supporters.
"And now you're not." Yukimura was not going to let Sanada drink the rest of what was in the cup. He was half tempted to go dump it out and stash the sake bottle in the back of a cabinet. "We don't need to test your theory, Genichirou," he said. But he could name a number of people who would disagree with Sanada's opinion.
Sanada gave his sake on the other side of the table on the floor a forlorn look before deciding it wasn’t going to be returned to him and giving up on it. He sighed and leaned a bit more on the table. "Renji would be a tie breaker for us.... If he answers." Sanada was not so distracted by his fight with Yukimura to miss that Yanagi had withdrawn from both of them and was seemingly ignoring them both while he fled the city. "We should treat him to dinner... " He should probably find a way to make it up to Kirihara, too. He was sure Yukimura already did. He was a good friend like that. Well when he wasn’t destroying you with his tennis. He smiled at the thought.
"Renji is too biased," Yukimura said. He would probably just give them both an exasperated look. Not that Yukimura could blame him. They had both acted childish. "I'll text him later to see if he is willing to be in the same room as us for an extended period of time." He doubted dinner would make up for it completely, but it was a start, at the very least.
"Renji likes facts. If he’s biased, it’s because his facts say it’s okay to be," Sanada said with a smile. He was pretty sure that he won the Yukimura is special argument. It was easy to win an argument when what you said was true. "And we can always kidnap him if he says no." Probably not the best start to an apology but sometimes a little force was necessary.
"We are not kidnapping, Renji," Yukimura said. He would probably permanently distance himself from the two of them for being literally insane. "He has to come because he wants to not because we forced him to. I'd like to remain friends with him if at all possible since he's going to be my trainer."
Sanada laughed at Yukimura being so against the kidnapping. He rather thought that Yanagi wouldn’t mind as long as they did it together. "Fine. No kidnapping. How about bribery?" He sat back from the table, arms stretched out behind him as he leaned back on them. "And it’s about time you fire your idiotic staff. They didn’t know how to coach you." And while Yukimura’s tennis hadn’t really suffered because of it, he certainly hadn’t made strides and grown like he should have with dedicated staff and playing against other pros.
Bribery wasn't a bad idea, but... "He'll see through it. Or we can just put the invitation out there and let him accept it in his own time." He didn't want to push Yanagi too far. Better for him to come to them then the other way around. "I haven't fired anyone. Yet," Yukimura said. "I want to see how well I do at the French before making any drastic changes. Though I'm pretty sure Renji is making me suffer via the regimen he sent me when I got back." He hadn't been that sore since physical therapy back in junior high after his surgery. "I deserve it. Plus, I do feel better than I had before Worlds last year."
Sanada nodded at that even as his thoughts started drifting to other things. The strange awkwardness from earlier was more or less gone and Sanada didn’t know for sure if it was just the sake making him unable to recognize the tense atmosphere or if they’d manage to fix things enough. "Seichi," He said. He leaned forward again, elbows resting on the table as he looked across at Yukimura. "Are we okay now?"
Yukimura thought about Sanada's question for a while. He thought they were fine now, for the most part, and probably would be until Adrian came to Japan. When that happened, he couldn't guarantee anything. "Yeah," he said finally. "We're good."
"Good," Sanada said and grinned up at Yukimura before yawning. "Does that mean you want me to help you unpack then?" Just because he couldn’t see the suitcase did not mean it was unpacked and put away properly. Sanada had known Yukimura too long to believe he’d already properly unpacked and did laundry already.
"You're tired." Yukimura rose to his feet and took the sake bottle and cup into the kitchen. The unpacking really could wait. It's not like he wasn't going to have to pack soon anyway, so it wasn't a huge deal. "There's nothing to unpack," he lied as he came back into the room. "I took care of it a couple of days after I got home. In between sleep while I got back on Japan time."
Walking over to Sanada, Yukimura patted the other man on the shoulder. "Come on, you get in bed and sleep."
Sanada didn’t argue that he wasn’t tired, not when he was yawning again. He’d done his best to keep as busy as possible while Yukimura was away and they were fighting and now that things were resolved it was like his body knew it could shut down and relax. "You know I don’t believe you," He said as he got to his feet. Maybe if Yukimura was still living at home where his mother would nag him about getting his clothes to the laundry he might believe he’d already unpacked everything. Not that Yukimura wasn’t completely capable of taking care of himself, he just usually had better things to do with his time than cleaning up things.
"You usually don't," Yukimura said, heading to his bed and pulling back the covers. "If you need something else to wear, I probably have something you can wear." He wasn't tired himself and would watch film of potential opponents until he fell asleep at his desk.
"Prove me wrong once in a while and I’ll start believing you," Sanada said as he walked over to the bed. Instead of bothering with digging through Yukimura’s clothes to try and find something that would fit him, or asking Yukimura to, he just tugged off his shirt and sloppily folded it before setting it down on the ground. After taking a moment to find his balance enough to stand again and giving a large yawn he crawled into Yukimura’s bed. "Nudge me when you want to sleep."
Yukimura sincerely doubted that was going to happen. Unpacking from trips wasn't a high priority to him. He doubted it ever would be. "Maybe in your dreams I will be a responsible person and unpack my luggage when I come home from trips," he said with a laugh and covered Sanada with the blanket. Yukimura ignored the nudging part. "Sleep well, Genichirou."
What: The long-awaited make-up talk
When: April 4th, right after this
Where: Yukimura's apartment
Rating: PG
Sanada was ridiculously easy to bait. So much so that Yukimura almost felt guilty after posting about his match with Tezuka. Granted, he was thankful for the match. It had helped re-confirm that he was good enough to keep playing at a professional level.
Though, he hadn't actually expected Sanada to message him about coming over. Yukimura figured they would just continue to be cordial in comments to one another until things just naturally fell back into place. Instead, he was picking up his apartment, shoving his still-unpacked suitcase into the closet and halfway making his bed. On the plus side, Sanada wouldn't be there for at least another 30 minutes, which also gave Yukimura time to prepare tea. It was a given that whatever was going to happen would be absolutely awkward, so he wanted something to do with his hands that wouldn't be too much of a distraction.
Every moment that brought him closer to Yukimura’s apartment made Sanada regret his decision to ask to meet Yukimura. He missed his friend and didn’t like fighting with him so reaching out to properly fix things seemed the right thing to do. But he also still felt the fight started because of Yukimura. And the reasons for the fight were still there and Sanada wasn’t sure he wanted to talk about it. Well, he supposed talking about Kirihara’s atrocious online grammar and why they shouldn’t encourage it would be fine. But he definitely wasn’t ready to talk about the French floozy.
He wasn’t a coward though so Sanada gave himself a manly pep talk and strode the last few steps down the street and to Yukimura’s apartment. They’d been friends for as long as Sanada could remember and that meant working through problems and not just ignoring them. At least that’s he told himself as he knocked before letting himself into Yukimura’s place. "Hello," He called out in greeting.
Tea in hand, Yukimura was sitting on the floor practicing some meditation techniques he had learned from his coach when he heard Sanada's footsteps on the stairs leading up to his apartment. He waited until Sanada spoke to open his eyes and look at his friend. "Hey," he said, thumbs already rubbing small circles on the mug he had taken for himself.
This was stupid, he thought. Yukimura didn't know if they were going to talk about the actual problem. If they didn't, he wasn't sure how they could actually fix anything since there would be that underlying thing that made a disagreement into a full blown argument. He gestured to an empty mug opposite him. "I made tea."
"Ah... thank you," Sanada said somewhat stiltedly as he finished placing his shoes neatly in the genkan. He walked over to Yukimura and sat down on the floor opposite him before accepting the tea. He took a moment to look over Yukimura, pleased to see that he looked healthy and well because even if he was angry at the other man, he didn’t truly want Yukimura to suffer. Still, he wasn’t sure where to start and couldn’t recall when being in Yukimura’s presence ever felt this uncomfortable. So to buy himself some time, he took a sip of his tea and then took a moment to appreciate it before taking a second sip.
It almost felt as though Yukimura was back in America with how far apart they were. He adjusted the sweater on his shoulders to give him a sense of protection. "Your hanami picture was nice." If Yukimura ignored the rock and looked at the upper two-thirds of the photo. He glanced at Sanada, trying to see if he could notice a physical difference that their mutual silent treatments had caused, but it was hard to tell given how the other man normally looked.
"I have things other than tea if you aren't a fan of that," he said, taking a drink. Like Yanagi, he knew Sanada was a fan of more bland-tasting teas and not ones with fruit or floral overtones or slightly on the sweeter side. "Help yourself, if you want. You know where everything is."
"I have some more if you’d like to see them." Ones where he focused more on the sakura and other flowers blooming in the park. Because even angry with Yukimura, old habits died hard and he was well trained to take photos of flowers. "And perhaps I’ll see what you have." Sanada would drink the tea out of politeness but he was thankful that Yukimura was giving him a way out of it. It was fine for what it was. But it would never be his first choice for tea flavours. He stood and brought his cup to the kitchen and fussed over cleaning it before looking around the kitchen at the options that were on hand. It was strange to be so familiar with somewhere but not feel as welcomed in that space as he was used to. And he wasn’t sure if the discomfort was coming from Yukimura, himself, or a combination of the both.
"Maybe in a little while," Yukimura said. He really did want to see the pictures. Sanada might not be gifted at the whole online journal thing, but he knew how to take a nice picture.
He turned slightly to watch Sanada look through his cabinets. It wasn't hard to miss the expression that came over the other man whenever he came into Yukimura's apartment. "You can clean it later if you really feel like it." Yukimura was absolutely convinced Sanada would, one day, make a very good house-husband to some incredibly successful woman with how skilled he was at most things domestic.
"It’s polite to clean up after yourself," Sanada said. It’s not like he had started doing all of the dishes yet though he had considered it and he was sure that Yukimura hadn’t cleaned up before he came over so much as shoved everything out of sight somewhere. It’s what Sasuke always did or at least tried to do but he still had his mother to chastise him for doing such things.
Sanada was just about to make himself a cup of nice and simple green tea when he caught sight of the sake he had bought Yukimura for his birthday. He knew Yukimura was not likely to drink it but it was the traditional gift for a twentieth birthday and Sanada had figured he and Yanagi would find a time to enjoy it together one day. He was sure Yanagi wouldn’t hold it against him if he started on the bottle without him. He’d heard alcohol referred to as liquid courage and while Sanada did not doubt his own strength and bravery, a little more wouldn’t hurt. He took the sake bottle and a suitable cup from the kitchen and went back to join Yukimura. "You don’t mind, do you?" If Yukimura did, he would switch back to his first choice of green tea.
Yukimura tried not to roll his eyes. Sanada was a guest, he didn't need or have to pick up after himself. "You'll survive not doing it this one time." Maybe. He knew Sanada had a hard time not doing certain things.
Spying the sake, Yukimura shrugged. "You know I can't drink it, so knock yourself out." Even if he could, he wasn't terribly fond of the smell of alcohol and wouldn't drink anyway. It had been a thoughtful, if overly traditional, gift. Sanada could drink the whole thing if he wanted. Turning back to the table, Yukimura refilled his tea and waited for Sanada to get himself situated.
Sanada sat and made himself comfortable before pouring himself a small cup of sake. He held it in his hands but didn’t drink yet, wondering what he should say next. He was the one that asked to come over, so he felt the burden of leading the conversation would fall to him. But he wasn’t exactly sure where to start or what to say. "Seiichi," He said and then fell quiet again as he finally took a sip of the sake, only just refraining from making a face at the strength of it.
Yukimura raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what Sanada was about to say, so he took a drink of tea and looked at him over the brim of the mug. "There's no rush," he said. "If I run out of tea, I can make more." He absolutely was not going to be the first one to make a concession. Of course, once Sanada made the first move, he'd respond in kind.
Sanada frowned at that and then sighed. He fussed with refilling his cup even though he had barely taken a sip and then tried again. "Seiichi," He paused and stared intently at his friend before finding the wall off to the side rather interesting. "I’m glad you’re home." Probably not what he was meant to say in this circumstance but at least it was true.
Yukimura didn't quite know how to respond. He was happy to be home, sure, but he really wanted to be at a tennis tournament, winning. "So am I," he eventually said. "My plants and flowers missed me. Shiraishi is a wonderful plant-sitter, but it's not quite the same." He was happy to see his friends and family though. With maybe one or two exceptions. "I hope you had a good break from school."
Sanada nodded and took another sip of his sake. "I spent some time with friends. And of course focused on my training." That went without saying but Sanada wasn’t used to silence around Yukimura feeling so strange and felt the need to fill it with something. "The World Championship is coming up so I’ve been working on refining certain techniques."
"Good luck at the championship," Yukimura told him. The best part about kendo, in his opinion, were the hakama, but only if the rest of the outfit was missing. There was just something sensual about a shirtless man wearing pants that exposed a slight amount of hip. He made a mental note to look up poses and do some sketches later. It would be rude to do it now.
Yukimura looked at the sake bottle and wondered if it would be empty before Sanada had said anything. "...I'm kind of surprised you asked to come over," he said.
"Thank you," Sanada said and then took a drink from his cup before he attempted to answer Yukimura’s implied question of why he had asked to come over. "You’re my friend. And I missed you while you were away..." Tezuka was fine company but Atobe left a little to be desired and Yanagi seemed annoyed with him and had run away to Tohoku. It really was nice to have his best friend back even if everything was awkward right now.
Yukimura knew how much kendo meant to Sanada, so he did hope that his friend did well in the tournament. It wasn't tennis, but Sanada had heard his complaints many times over the years. "We both know that's not the reason," he said. He finished the rest of his mug and filled it back up with tea. "Or at least, not the main reason."
Sanada watched as Yukimura poured himself more tea and frowned as he caught sight of the ring. He had thought it was just a joke as Yukimura was just as prone to teasing in his own way as Niou was. He frowned and forced his eyes away from the ring to look back at his sake. He finished off the sake in his cup and poured himself more as he searched for words that wouldn’t upset the balance. "No, it’s not... I don’t like how he we fought." It’s not as if they had never fought in their many years of friendship. But this one was definitely the worst. Made even more so by the distance separating them.
Yukimura hadn't been fond of it either. Namely because of Kirihara. It should have been private or over the phone or anything else other than where everyone could see it. Unfortunately, what was done was done. He didn't have time travel powers to change the method of his communication. "Me neither." If he had been home, Yukimura would have just challenged him to tennis and thrashed him. "It was immature from both of us, but it was probably long overdue."
Sanada had been nodding along but looked up in surprise at the last part. "Long overdue?" He didn’t know how that was the case seeing as the fight was about Kirihara’s poor grammar skills online and Yukimura’s public declaration of bedding some floozy French man.
Yukimura nodded. Exceptionally overdue. "I don't know," he said with a shrug. "Sometimes it feels like people still walk on eggshells around me. Especially you." He just wanted people to treat him how they had before he got sick with the natural changes that time brought. "In this particular instance though, I just got annoyed. You're being too hard on Akaya for his personal preferences. Everyone else does perfectly fine understanding his typing. It's purely you being an ass. And as for Adrian..." He paused and took a sip of tea. "What I do and with whom is really none of your business. You've never been like this with people I've dated previously. I'm happy, which is really all that should matter." Sure, he got incredibly petty after their fight and posted things on purpose, but to be fair, that was also what was going on in his life at the time. It wasn't completely his fault Sanada got all huffy.
"So you wanted to fight with me because I care too much about you?" Sanada asked not comprehending at all. He may fuss over Yukimura a little more than he did Yanagi but Yanagi didn’t get so wrapped up in projects he forgot to eat or take important medicines. And he was always there to support Yukimura in everything he wanted to try or do even when it made him worry and keep him awake at night because he never wanted to be the one to put the same look on Yukimura’s face as the doctors who told him he wouldn’t be able to play tennis for at least several months did.
Still in disbelief at the accusation, he poured himself more sake and drank it down. "And Kirihara doesn’t need you to defend him. I found it annoying to read. I asked him to stop. He agreed to do it when talking to me. I didn’t tell him he had to stop it with everyone else he talked to." He thought Kirihara should use proper language skills since he was a public figure and a role model. But he had refrained from going that far because he knew that it wasn’t his business how Kirihara talked to other friends.
And as for Adrian... Well, that tied back into the first point in a way and there was no way that Yukimura would want to hear about that half but if he wanted to keep poking at the issue then Sanada would, too. "You’ve never dated someone halfway around the world and you’ve never felt the need to send me half naked photos of them in bed either." Sanada had not enjoyed opening up his journal and seeing so much of Adrian on it. He was used to Yukimura’s art having people in various stages of undress but even he couldn’t pretend that’s what Adrian in a rumpled bed was.
"There's a fine line," Yukimura started, grip around the mug tightening slightly, "between caring and being suffocatingly overprotective." Of course, he appreciated Sanada's friendship, but he was also an adult and could take care of himself. Regarding Kirihara, "It's a silly thing to get uptight about," he said with a sigh. "Akaya's social media doesn't have to be formal." Their kouhai had many fans, most of which couldn't care less about his lack of capitalization, grammar, punctuation, or spelling. Sometimes Sanada was too traditional.
Yukimura glanced at the now half-empty sake bottle then back to Sanada. "I didn't send them directly to you," he said firmly. "I posted them on my journal where everyone could see. My entries aren't for your eyes only, Genichirou. The issues you have with my relationship are ones you need to come to terms with on your own time. It isn't fair for me to withhold parts my my life I want to share because you will be upset."
"If there’s a fine line then I think you’re crossing it with Akaya. We spoke, we came to a compromise, we’re both fine with it," Sanada said. He reached for the sake bottle but then put it down without pouring any more of it. "And you know what, maybe getting them sent directly to me would have been better. I’m your friend. I shouldn’t have to find out about things that are apparently important to you the same time as everyone else. And I don’t like him because if he hurts you, I can’t do anything about it. I don’t care if Renji cleared him, I don’t know him and I don’t like that and I don’t like not being able to be there for you even if you say I’m suffocating you." He couldn’t help but huff at that because he still didn’t see how he was suffocating Yukimura. It’s not as if he had leased an apartment across the street from him and brought him home cooked meals twice a day. He had admittedly considered it once or twice but never more than in a passing moment of ridiculousness.
"I won't disagree with you about Akaya," Yukimura admitted. "Though, I think the same could be said for all of our former teammates." They had done a lot of damage in junior high and he was of the opinion that they needed to make up for it in any way possible. Yukimura was immensely proud of Kirihara, so of course he wanted to support him.
There was a lot to unpack with Sanada's mini tirade. Yukimura tended to dive right in and explain things later which always annoyed those closest to him. "Would it make you feel better if you met him?" he asked quietly.
"You spoil them," Sanada said thinking about how much Yukimura indulged all of their former teammates. Former opponents wouldn’t believe that Yukimura could be so gentle and charming off of the courts but nobody on Rikkai would expect any different... at least when not on the court. Tennis brought out a whole different side to Yukimura and Sanada smiled fondly at how ruthless Yukimura could be on the court even as he internally cringed at the thought of meeting stupid Adrian.
Sanada reached across the table to take Yukimura’s left hand in his and rubbed his thumb gently across the ring on Yukimura’s finger. "No. Meeting him would not make me feel better." Not unless he was allowed to drag him into the dojo for a round or five of kendo. But Sanada was pretty sure that Yukimura would veto that idea before it could even be fully voiced.
Yukimura smiled briefly. "I don't see any reason why I shouldn't." He was successful and wanted to share that with his friends. There was nothing wrong with that, in his opinion. They had supported him at his lowest point and continued to do so. He considered it one of the ways to say thank you.
"You'll have to at some point," Yukimura told him, watching as Sanada messed with the ring on his finger. "I would appreciate it if my best friend was at least somewhat approving." Though he doubted Sanada would approve of anyone. For Yukimura or Yanagi... or anyone else on their former team.
Sanada just shook his head fondly at Yukimura not seeing a problem with spoiling everyone and played with Yukimura’s ring a bit longer before looking up at him. "I’m selfish and jealous. He’d have to rescue kittens from a burning building before he even stands a chance." The bar for anyone ever being near worthy of Yukimura and therefore of his approval was set so high that Sanada suspected few would ever come close to touching it.
Selfish and jealous? Yukimura blinked. That was... not what he expected to hear. "Well, I don't see that happening. I'd really rather him not risk his life," he said, finishing the rest of his tea and setting the mug aside. "Adrian isn't going to prevent me from spending time with my friends. Even the ridiculously stubborn ones. But my friends can't be stingy and want me all to themselves either." There had to be some kind of compromise.
"I share you with Renji," Sanada said. He knew he was pouting slightly but couldn’t bring himself to care enough to stop. He finally let go of Yukimura’s hand with a final gentle squeeze and toyed with his sake glass instead. "And what about adept at a Japanese sport, skilled at calligraphy and knowledgeable about art?" None of those would risk delicate French boy’s life and would help him inch towards worthiness. And the first two pursuits would be best obtained while in Japan. No need to spend half the year in France.
Yukimura gave him a stern look. "Really, Genichirou, you're acting like a child. Learn to share better," he said. He considered Sanada's proposal for a moment. "I suppose I could ask Tezuka if he would be willing to give Adrian some judo lessons. He's already knowledgeable with art, so that's a point in his favor. Calligraphy isn't a big leap from that." If it helped Sanada feel better about the whole thing, then he guessed it couldn't hurt that much.
"Judo?!" Sanada said distracted by the chastising by the horrors of someone choosing judo over any other Japanese sport. "Are you trying to make me hate the man?" And then to have Tezuka teach him? Tezuka was a horrible student of judo as he was much more interested in tennis. So Adrian’s judo would end up mediocre at best and that was just rubbing salt into wounds at that point. "Kendo would be best. Though I suppose kyudo is fine, too." Sanada had always had a weak spot for the precision and tradition of Japanese archery. "Judo..." He muttered to himself while shaking his head in disbelief. The nerve.
Yukimura couldn't help it. He burst out laughing and rested his head on the table to try and calm himself down. "No," he said between breaths. "Why would I want that?" The look on Sanada's face plus his tone had been too much. Once his breathing was back under control, he lifted his head. "You only want kendo so you can win. I'll talk to him about kyudo. Unless you'd rather try and best him at fencing." Sanada would probably do well at that too. Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned anything with sword-like combat items.
Sanada didn’t get what was so funny but he gave a small chuckle anyway and then smirked. "I’ll beat him no matter what he picks." He had experience with all manner of Japanese sports while he suspected the French guy did not. "And fencing is not Japanese... though it is an okay sport." Sanada had a soft spot for any sword based activity.
"I'll see when he can fly out then," Yukimura said, resting his chin in his hand. Golden Week would probably be the best since most everyone would be off or out of school. "Alternatively, you could just Turkish oil wrestle." Voyeuristic and fun. Namely for him. "Or sword fight. With toy swords." He didn't trust Sanada not to try to cut off Adrian's head if they used real ones.
Sanada wondered when he agreed to meet the French floozy but decided that was something to figure out at another time. With luck, the guy would be too busy to fly out any time before the year 2030. He copied Yukimura’s pose, leaning onto the table as he considered sword fighting with toy swords and gave a small laugh. He only did that sort of thing with his niece and youngest nephew. "What’s Turkish oil wrestling?" He imagined it involved oil and some form of wrestling but had never heard of it.
Yukimura grinned. "The combatants are shirtless and covered in olive oil. They wrestle until one of them is able to grab hold of this special leather undergarment." He mainly liked it because the wrestlers were muscular and the oil highlighted that. "Unfortunately, I think it's a bit too cold for that right now, but maybe in the summer." Sanada would do well at it, considering his judo training and musculature.
"Special leather undergarment sounds uncomfortable," Sanada said. Though the rest of it seemed fine. Who didn’t enjoy a good grapple for sport and the oil would just add an extra challenge to it. But covered in oil and trying to grab some weird leather underwear thing did sound a bit strange. But sumo wrestlers also got a bit handsy down below when trying to get each other out of the ring so maybe it wasn’t completely strange. Sanada contemplated oil wrestling while he topped up his sake cup, spilling a little by accident. "Sorry about that." He’d clean it up when he finally put away the sake and cup. At least if Yukimura let him and didn’t judge him for wanting things tidy.
"You wear fundoshi," Yukimura countered. "Not everyone finds that comfortable." He definitely didn't. While he wasn't sure about the leather underwear, if it was used often, it might be more supple than stiff. "Watch some videos on it later. It's interesting."
Yukimura watched Sanada with the sake, raising his eyebrows at the slight spill. He didn't look affected by the drink except for the faint pink dusting his cheeks. "Maybe you should stop," he suggested. "It would be unfortunate if you spilled anymore."
"Fundoshi is perfectly comfortable when worn correctly," Sanada said almost automatically. Just because something was traditional didn’t mean it was outdated and uncomfortable. Not that he wore it every day either. It was important to balance tradition and modern practicality at times. "And you’re giving me homework?" He would have to remember to watch this oil wrestling and read up on this weird leather underwear thing later, especially if he was going to challenge Adrian to a duel.
As for the sake, well, Sanada looked at it and then oh so carefully put the lid back on to it. He then gave Yukimura a satisfied nod. He may question Yukimura’s taste in men, but his advice on not being wasteful was perfectly sound.
"For you," Yukimura reiterated. He really wasn't fond of all the effort it took to put one on correctly when slipping into a pair of boxer briefs was so much quicker and easier. Shaking his head at Sanada's question, he said, "Only watch if you want. No homework."
After Sanada had stoppered the alcohol, Yukimura grabbed the bottle and put it on the floor next to him. Considering the other man's reflexes were not quite 100% anymore, it was for the best.
"Perhaps my ass is just better suited for wearing it," Sanada said. He’d been told on more than one occasion that he wore it well. Though a couple of those compliments may have been more sarcastic but he was sure that one from Atobe was just because he was envious of his muscles. "And I’ll watch it." He now considered learning this oil wrestling thing a challenge and he never backed down from a worthy challenge. And challenges from Yukimura were worthy of his time.
"Don't get too cocky, Gen-chan." Yukimura did think Sanada had a better ass than most people, but he didn't want it to go to Sanada's head, lest he turn into Atobe and start spouting about his physical prowess or some other crap like that. "Whenever you get to watch, I hope you enjoy it. I think you'd appreciate the wrestlers in terms of strength."
Sanada gave a snort at the advice and the pet name that really only his family and Yukimura could get away calling him by. "Whatever you say, Sei-chan," Sanada said back with a grin feeling bold enough to tease. "And I’m still wondering about this leather underwear thing. Perhaps it can be changed to fundoshi for when I challenge your French man to a Turkish oil wrestling match." He would even give Adrian a chance to redeem himself and make it the best two out of three sports. It also gave him multiple chances to defeat the guy so that definitely put a smile on his face.
Yukimura shook his head. "That's cheating. You can't make it lopsided in your favor," he said then shot Sanada a look. "You know, it would go a long way if you stopped calling him 'French man' or whatever other nicknames you probably have for him." If or when Sanada ever got a partner, he wouldn't refer to them like that. Even if he didn't like them. Civility was appreciated.
"I don’t see how it’s cheating. If you’re worried it’s going to fall off because he can’t tie it, I can help him." And he would make sure it was nice and tightly done so that Yukimura couldn’t say that Sanada had given himself an advantage. "You should be happy I remembered where he’s from..." Sanada paused and then sighed before he conceded that it was a pathetic excuse and that Yukimura was right. It was rude to avoid using his name out loud. "What’s his last name?" If he was going to use his name, he was going to put as much distance and formality between him and the guy as Yukimura would let him get away with.
"That isn't the reason. You would have an unfair advantage since you are used to wearing them. Therefore wearing the leather undergarment would make it an even playing field." Yukimura rolled his eyes. It was absolutely childish for Sanada to continue acting this way and he was getting mad all over again. "Deschamps," he replied. "Both s' are silent and the p is a soft, barely there sound." He hoped his pronunciation helped Sanada be able to get it right.
Sanada didn’t really think that would give him an advantage but decided to withdraw from the battlefield until he saw what this leather underwear thing was like. And he could always convince Adrian that fundoshi was better and just bypass Yukimura. Instead, Sanada focused on his last name. No S sound and only a soft P. He could do this. "Dayshammmp?" He asked trying his best to get it right even if he didn’t think it sounded quite like what Yukimura said. He really wished other countries had a more sensible alphabet and sound system like Japan.
Yukimura put a hand over his mouth to stop from giggling. It was a decent first attempt. "Not bad. It's... close-ish," he said. "You have time to work on it though. I still have trouble with some words and I'm a little more experienced than you are." A lot more experienced, but he didn't want to bruise Sanada's pride too much. It also didn't help that there was sake interfering with his brain.
Close-ish? Well that wasn’t good enough. If he didn’t want Yukimura to think he was purposefully insulting his idiotic bed warmer then he had to get it right. "Duuchimmmp?" He asked. And then frowned because even to him that sounded worse than the first attempt.
Oh gods, that was bad. Yukimura shook his head. "The first time was closer than whatever you just tried to say." He leaned over to his bookshelf, grabbing a sketchbook and pencil. Opening to a new page, he spelled out Adrian's last name on the paper (D-E-S-C-H-A-M-P-S) then how to (try to) pronounce it underneath (Day-shaaaahmm). "I appreciate you trying, Genichirou," he said sincerely.
Sanada sighed and watched as Yukimura got out paper and at first wondered if the inspiration to draw suddenly took him when he started writing letters instead. Ah, a French lesson. And apparently there were S’s in the mans name. That seemed strange. Why put so many extra letters into your name if you weren’t going to say them? He was just about to try and say it again when Yukimura’s words registered and he glanced up at him and gave him a soft smile. "It’s rude to say someone’s name wrong... and I’m not trying to make you angry." He reached out across the table where Yukimura’s left hand rested and brushed his fingers against the ring there again. "But I still think Dayshaaamm-san is completely unworthy of you." Yukimura was far too special to be wasted on the first French floozy with abs that came by.
"Much better. You can serve first when we play tennis next," Yukimura said, reaching up with his free hand to ruffle Sanada's hair. Sanada trying, even at this barest of minimums, was a good sign. He really did want them to get along. If Kirihara could manage, then so could his best friend. "To be fair, you think most people are unworthy of me." It was sweet, in a way, but he was more than capable of making his own decisions regarding relationships.
Sanada gave Yukimura a big smile as he ruffled his hair and leaned a bit more on the table, nearly tipping his sake cup in the process. "It’s because you’re special. So you deserve someone special in return." Maybe a doctor. Who was proficient in martial arts and grew up on a farm... and of course played tennis in school.
"Yes, yes, so you keep saying." Yukimura withdrew his hand from Sanada's hair and grabbed the sake cup, placing it next to the half-empty bottle sitting on the floor. "Being special is like beauty, it's in the eye of the beholder and I think Adrian's special like you think I am."
Sanada frowned and made a poor attempt at getting his sake back. "I was drinking that," He said. And he was definitely not pouting. "And plenty of people would agree with me that you’re special." At the very least rest of the old team would and he was sure anyone who had ever shared a class or club with Yukimura would, too. Sanada had yet to see something that Yukimura couldn’t do well. He doubted Adrian would have so many supporters.
"And now you're not." Yukimura was not going to let Sanada drink the rest of what was in the cup. He was half tempted to go dump it out and stash the sake bottle in the back of a cabinet. "We don't need to test your theory, Genichirou," he said. But he could name a number of people who would disagree with Sanada's opinion.
Sanada gave his sake on the other side of the table on the floor a forlorn look before deciding it wasn’t going to be returned to him and giving up on it. He sighed and leaned a bit more on the table. "Renji would be a tie breaker for us.... If he answers." Sanada was not so distracted by his fight with Yukimura to miss that Yanagi had withdrawn from both of them and was seemingly ignoring them both while he fled the city. "We should treat him to dinner... " He should probably find a way to make it up to Kirihara, too. He was sure Yukimura already did. He was a good friend like that. Well when he wasn’t destroying you with his tennis. He smiled at the thought.
"Renji is too biased," Yukimura said. He would probably just give them both an exasperated look. Not that Yukimura could blame him. They had both acted childish. "I'll text him later to see if he is willing to be in the same room as us for an extended period of time." He doubted dinner would make up for it completely, but it was a start, at the very least.
"Renji likes facts. If he’s biased, it’s because his facts say it’s okay to be," Sanada said with a smile. He was pretty sure that he won the Yukimura is special argument. It was easy to win an argument when what you said was true. "And we can always kidnap him if he says no." Probably not the best start to an apology but sometimes a little force was necessary.
"We are not kidnapping, Renji," Yukimura said. He would probably permanently distance himself from the two of them for being literally insane. "He has to come because he wants to not because we forced him to. I'd like to remain friends with him if at all possible since he's going to be my trainer."
Sanada laughed at Yukimura being so against the kidnapping. He rather thought that Yanagi wouldn’t mind as long as they did it together. "Fine. No kidnapping. How about bribery?" He sat back from the table, arms stretched out behind him as he leaned back on them. "And it’s about time you fire your idiotic staff. They didn’t know how to coach you." And while Yukimura’s tennis hadn’t really suffered because of it, he certainly hadn’t made strides and grown like he should have with dedicated staff and playing against other pros.
Bribery wasn't a bad idea, but... "He'll see through it. Or we can just put the invitation out there and let him accept it in his own time." He didn't want to push Yanagi too far. Better for him to come to them then the other way around. "I haven't fired anyone. Yet," Yukimura said. "I want to see how well I do at the French before making any drastic changes. Though I'm pretty sure Renji is making me suffer via the regimen he sent me when I got back." He hadn't been that sore since physical therapy back in junior high after his surgery. "I deserve it. Plus, I do feel better than I had before Worlds last year."
Sanada nodded at that even as his thoughts started drifting to other things. The strange awkwardness from earlier was more or less gone and Sanada didn’t know for sure if it was just the sake making him unable to recognize the tense atmosphere or if they’d manage to fix things enough. "Seichi," He said. He leaned forward again, elbows resting on the table as he looked across at Yukimura. "Are we okay now?"
Yukimura thought about Sanada's question for a while. He thought they were fine now, for the most part, and probably would be until Adrian came to Japan. When that happened, he couldn't guarantee anything. "Yeah," he said finally. "We're good."
"Good," Sanada said and grinned up at Yukimura before yawning. "Does that mean you want me to help you unpack then?" Just because he couldn’t see the suitcase did not mean it was unpacked and put away properly. Sanada had known Yukimura too long to believe he’d already properly unpacked and did laundry already.
"You're tired." Yukimura rose to his feet and took the sake bottle and cup into the kitchen. The unpacking really could wait. It's not like he wasn't going to have to pack soon anyway, so it wasn't a huge deal. "There's nothing to unpack," he lied as he came back into the room. "I took care of it a couple of days after I got home. In between sleep while I got back on Japan time."
Walking over to Sanada, Yukimura patted the other man on the shoulder. "Come on, you get in bed and sleep."
Sanada didn’t argue that he wasn’t tired, not when he was yawning again. He’d done his best to keep as busy as possible while Yukimura was away and they were fighting and now that things were resolved it was like his body knew it could shut down and relax. "You know I don’t believe you," He said as he got to his feet. Maybe if Yukimura was still living at home where his mother would nag him about getting his clothes to the laundry he might believe he’d already unpacked everything. Not that Yukimura wasn’t completely capable of taking care of himself, he just usually had better things to do with his time than cleaning up things.
"You usually don't," Yukimura said, heading to his bed and pulling back the covers. "If you need something else to wear, I probably have something you can wear." He wasn't tired himself and would watch film of potential opponents until he fell asleep at his desk.
"Prove me wrong once in a while and I’ll start believing you," Sanada said as he walked over to the bed. Instead of bothering with digging through Yukimura’s clothes to try and find something that would fit him, or asking Yukimura to, he just tugged off his shirt and sloppily folded it before setting it down on the ground. After taking a moment to find his balance enough to stand again and giving a large yawn he crawled into Yukimura’s bed. "Nudge me when you want to sleep."
Yukimura sincerely doubted that was going to happen. Unpacking from trips wasn't a high priority to him. He doubted it ever would be. "Maybe in your dreams I will be a responsible person and unpack my luggage when I come home from trips," he said with a laugh and covered Sanada with the blanket. Yukimura ignored the nudging part. "Sleep well, Genichirou."
