Ship: Inui Sadaharu/Yanagi Renji Fandom: Prince of Tennis Major tags: None Other tags: None Square: friendship bracelets Word count: 523
it’s a real book.
***
“Look, I learned something new!”
Sadaharu was always learning something new, trying out dumb things that he read in magazines or reading about the world on the internet. Some of those internet things he learned got around his parents’ safe search filters, too, and Renji never quite knew what to do with that information.
“What is it?” Renji asked cautiously.
“This!” Sadaharu stuck out his arm and showed off a colorful bracelet around his wrist. “Isn’t it cool?”
Renji was reaching out before he could quite stop himself, fingertips brushing over the woven material. The colors Sadaharu had chosen were some of Renji’s favorites, cool blues and greens that reminded him of the ocean. “Very cool,” he decided.
Sadaharu ducked his head, looking shy, even though he was very much not shy. “It’s for you,” he said. “It’s a friendship bracelet. Can’t make yourself one of those.” He slid the bracelet over his hand and stuck it out, dangling it between his thumb and index finger. “Here.”
“Thank you,” Renji said and quickly snatched it out of Sadaharu’s hand, like he was about to change his mind any second. He slid it over his hand and admired it for a moment before he started to frown.
“You don’t like it,” Sadaharu said. His voice sounded normal and his shoulders weren’t slumped, but Renji could tell he was getting upset anyway.
“I do!” Renji said quickly, clutching his arm to his chest. “I really do, Hakase. It’s just –“ He looked down. “I don’t have anything for you.”
Sadaharu brightened right away, then slid his heavy backpack off his shoulders and knelt on the ground to dig through it. “Don’t worry, Kyoujou! You can borrow my book!”
The whole walk home Renji kept Friendship Bracelets 101: Fun to Make, Fun to Wear, Fun to Share pressed to his chest.
*
The night was cool and the stars were out. The grass scratched Renji’s neck, but he was here with Sadaharu after so many years, and it finally seemed like things were okay between them again.
Sadaharu had his hand raised high in the air, and Renji listened as he named stars in order of magnitude and traced constellations with his fingertip.
“Remember when we made each other friendship bracelets?” Renji said, interrupting the sixth minute of an explanation of quarks.
“Hmm?” Sadaharu dropped his hand and rolled onto his side. “Of course I do. I wore mine until recently. Then it broke.”
Renji faced him. “Broke? How did that happen?”
“I suppose –“ Sadaharu paused. “It wore out. It was pretty old.” Renji could tell he wasn’t getting the whole story, but he let it pass.
“Well, we’ll make new ones then,” Renji said. “For new beginnings.”
Sadaharu pressed one hand to Renji’s cheek, as though he did that every day. “Renji,” he said roughly.
Then he leaned in and pressed their mouths together, as though he did that every day, too. The way Renji felt when that happened, a warm golden glow that started in his stomach and spread out and out until his fingertips tingled, made him think that perhaps he should.
Fill: team otabek altin/yuri plisetsky, C3, G
Fandom: Prince of Tennis
Major tags: None
Other tags: None
Square: friendship bracelets
Word count: 523
it’s a real book.
***
“Look, I learned something new!”
Sadaharu was always learning something new, trying out dumb things that he read in magazines or reading about the world on the internet. Some of those internet things he learned got around his parents’ safe search filters, too, and Renji never quite knew what to do with that information.
“What is it?” Renji asked cautiously.
“This!” Sadaharu stuck out his arm and showed off a colorful bracelet around his wrist. “Isn’t it cool?”
Renji was reaching out before he could quite stop himself, fingertips brushing over the woven material. The colors Sadaharu had chosen were some of Renji’s favorites, cool blues and greens that reminded him of the ocean. “Very cool,” he decided.
Sadaharu ducked his head, looking shy, even though he was very much not shy. “It’s for you,” he said. “It’s a friendship bracelet. Can’t make yourself one of those.” He slid the bracelet over his hand and stuck it out, dangling it between his thumb and index finger. “Here.”
“Thank you,” Renji said and quickly snatched it out of Sadaharu’s hand, like he was about to change his mind any second. He slid it over his hand and admired it for a moment before he started to frown.
“You don’t like it,” Sadaharu said. His voice sounded normal and his shoulders weren’t slumped, but Renji could tell he was getting upset anyway.
“I do!” Renji said quickly, clutching his arm to his chest. “I really do, Hakase. It’s just –“ He looked down. “I don’t have anything for you.”
Sadaharu brightened right away, then slid his heavy backpack off his shoulders and knelt on the ground to dig through it. “Don’t worry, Kyoujou! You can borrow my book!”
The whole walk home Renji kept Friendship Bracelets 101: Fun to Make, Fun to Wear, Fun to Share pressed to his chest.
*
The night was cool and the stars were out. The grass scratched Renji’s neck, but he was here with Sadaharu after so many years, and it finally seemed like things were okay between them again.
Sadaharu had his hand raised high in the air, and Renji listened as he named stars in order of magnitude and traced constellations with his fingertip.
“Remember when we made each other friendship bracelets?” Renji said, interrupting the sixth minute of an explanation of quarks.
“Hmm?” Sadaharu dropped his hand and rolled onto his side. “Of course I do. I wore mine until recently. Then it broke.”
Renji faced him. “Broke? How did that happen?”
“I suppose –“ Sadaharu paused. “It wore out. It was pretty old.” Renji could tell he wasn’t getting the whole story, but he let it pass.
“Well, we’ll make new ones then,” Renji said. “For new beginnings.”
Sadaharu pressed one hand to Renji’s cheek, as though he did that every day. “Renji,” he said roughly.
Then he leaned in and pressed their mouths together, as though he did that every day, too. The way Renji felt when that happened, a warm golden glow that started in his stomach and spread out and out until his fingertips tingled, made him think that perhaps he should.