cashew (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} cashew) wrote,@ 2005-06-21 02:01:00 |
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Engagement - Chapter 02
Title: Engagement
Chapter: Chapter 02 – The Favor
Series: WIP
Rating: Mostly G, will adjust accordingly.
Pairings: None! Absolutely none! Not a romance story!
Summary: Tezuka calls for a favor.
Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine. Even the story idea isn't mine.
Author's Notes: I was going to post this later, but since someone couldn't wait...
===
Chapter 02 – The Favor
That night, Tezuka returned home, greeted his parents perfunctorily, and excused himself from dinner early. Locking himself into his room, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number that he had only used once previously in Germany.
“Moshi moshi, this is the Atobe residence.”
“This is Tezuka Kunimitsu. May I speak with Atobe Keigo?”
Tezuka waited as he heard the soft sounds of foot shuffling and the old butler telling “Keigo-bochama” that he has a call. After a pause, during which Tezuka assumed the butler removed himself from “Keigo-bochama’s” room, he heard the familiar voice saying, “A~hn? Tezuka? This is a surprise.”
“Atobe, I need a favor. My grandfather just informed me that I had been affianced today.” Tezuka forewent niceties and jumped into the main topic of discussion. It was, after all, an emergency.
“Is that so?” Atobe sounded more amused than he had a right to be. “I believe congratulations are in order, ne?”
“Quite the opposite, I do not wish to be engaged at this time.”
“My, aren’t we in a predicament.” The amused voice sounded almost choked, as though Atobe was trying to muffle laughter. Tezuka groaned internally. “However, I fail to see how this has to do with me, Tezuka.”
“If I am married, I will be expected to give up tennis.” Tezuka waited for the information to sink in and the inevitable volley Atobe was sure to return.
“That would be shame. Yet, that would mean I would have one less opponent on the courts. It seems to be rather a profitable situation for me,” Atobe’s voice was practically smirking over the line.
Bingo, Tezuka thought to himself and modulated his voice to state as blandly as humanly possible, “It would also mean you won’t have a chance to defeat a fully healed Tezuka Kunimitsu.”
“What did you have in mind, Tezuka?” Atobe was now all business, his voice devoid of a trace of amusement.
“The most preferable situation would be if your lawyers could find something illegal in these arranged marriages thereby dissuade my grandfather,” Tezuka stated.
There was a small pause on the other end of the line, followed by a burst of air. “What exactly did you have in mind for plan B, Tezuka?”
Tezuka was afraid it would come to this. Taking a steadying breath (because contrary to what others had thought, he did not have nerves of steel) he told Atobe, “I need you to masquerade as my girlfriend and convince my grandfather that my choice of significant others is better.”
“Ore-sama will not dress up as a girl,” Atobe declared indignantly. “Why can’t you get that Fuji of yours to do it. He’s small enough.”
“Fuji is on familiar terms with Grandfather, he’ll see through the disguise,” Tezuka explained patiently.
“What about the rest of your regulars?”
“Inui is much too tall to pass; Kaidoh’s speech impediment will give him away as soon as he opens his mouth; Kikumaru wouldn’t know how to behave if it killed him; Oishi is much too naïve to lie convincingly; Echizen won’t care enough to try—”
“Okay, okay, I get the idea,” Atobe interrupted.
“Think of this as a chance to put your aristocratic upbringing into good use,” Tezuka appealed to Atobe’s vanity, a strategy that rarely fails. “If anyone can charm an old man out of his set ways, it will be Atobe Keigo.”
“Naturally,” Atobe agreed, his ego inflating to disproportionate proportions. “However, if this ever gets out, Tezuka, ore-sama is suing you for libel.”
“Atobe, I think you’d be too busy bribing the media to worry about suing me,” Tezuka informed his rival. Before Atobe could launch into a tirade about how he will squeeze time from his busy hours to chase down Tezuka to the ends of the earth and seek out his revenge, Tezuka added, “Besides, if it does get out, then you would have failed. And Atobe Keigo is much to perfect to fail, na?”
In the background, Tezuka could faintly hear a “Usu” as Atobe replied, “My place, 3:00 tomorrow afternoon. Tell the sensei you have a practice match with Hyotei. We’ll go over the details.”
~*tsuduku*~
Title: Engagement
Chapter: Chapter 02 – The Favor
Series: WIP
Rating: Mostly G, will adjust accordingly.
Pairings: None! Absolutely none! Not a romance story!
Summary: Tezuka calls for a favor.
Disclaimer: Not mine, not mine. Even the story idea isn't mine.
Author's Notes: I was going to post this later, but since someone couldn't wait...
===
Chapter 02 – The Favor
That night, Tezuka returned home, greeted his parents perfunctorily, and excused himself from dinner early. Locking himself into his room, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number that he had only used once previously in Germany.
“Moshi moshi, this is the Atobe residence.”
“This is Tezuka Kunimitsu. May I speak with Atobe Keigo?”
Tezuka waited as he heard the soft sounds of foot shuffling and the old butler telling “Keigo-bochama” that he has a call. After a pause, during which Tezuka assumed the butler removed himself from “Keigo-bochama’s” room, he heard the familiar voice saying, “A~hn? Tezuka? This is a surprise.”
“Atobe, I need a favor. My grandfather just informed me that I had been affianced today.” Tezuka forewent niceties and jumped into the main topic of discussion. It was, after all, an emergency.
“Is that so?” Atobe sounded more amused than he had a right to be. “I believe congratulations are in order, ne?”
“Quite the opposite, I do not wish to be engaged at this time.”
“My, aren’t we in a predicament.” The amused voice sounded almost choked, as though Atobe was trying to muffle laughter. Tezuka groaned internally. “However, I fail to see how this has to do with me, Tezuka.”
“If I am married, I will be expected to give up tennis.” Tezuka waited for the information to sink in and the inevitable volley Atobe was sure to return.
“That would be shame. Yet, that would mean I would have one less opponent on the courts. It seems to be rather a profitable situation for me,” Atobe’s voice was practically smirking over the line.
Bingo, Tezuka thought to himself and modulated his voice to state as blandly as humanly possible, “It would also mean you won’t have a chance to defeat a fully healed Tezuka Kunimitsu.”
“What did you have in mind, Tezuka?” Atobe was now all business, his voice devoid of a trace of amusement.
“The most preferable situation would be if your lawyers could find something illegal in these arranged marriages thereby dissuade my grandfather,” Tezuka stated.
There was a small pause on the other end of the line, followed by a burst of air. “What exactly did you have in mind for plan B, Tezuka?”
Tezuka was afraid it would come to this. Taking a steadying breath (because contrary to what others had thought, he did not have nerves of steel) he told Atobe, “I need you to masquerade as my girlfriend and convince my grandfather that my choice of significant others is better.”
“Ore-sama will not dress up as a girl,” Atobe declared indignantly. “Why can’t you get that Fuji of yours to do it. He’s small enough.”
“Fuji is on familiar terms with Grandfather, he’ll see through the disguise,” Tezuka explained patiently.
“What about the rest of your regulars?”
“Inui is much too tall to pass; Kaidoh’s speech impediment will give him away as soon as he opens his mouth; Kikumaru wouldn’t know how to behave if it killed him; Oishi is much too naïve to lie convincingly; Echizen won’t care enough to try—”
“Okay, okay, I get the idea,” Atobe interrupted.
“Think of this as a chance to put your aristocratic upbringing into good use,” Tezuka appealed to Atobe’s vanity, a strategy that rarely fails. “If anyone can charm an old man out of his set ways, it will be Atobe Keigo.”
“Naturally,” Atobe agreed, his ego inflating to disproportionate proportions. “However, if this ever gets out, Tezuka, ore-sama is suing you for libel.”
“Atobe, I think you’d be too busy bribing the media to worry about suing me,” Tezuka informed his rival. Before Atobe could launch into a tirade about how he will squeeze time from his busy hours to chase down Tezuka to the ends of the earth and seek out his revenge, Tezuka added, “Besides, if it does get out, then you would have failed. And Atobe Keigo is much to perfect to fail, na?”
In the background, Tezuka could faintly hear a “Usu” as Atobe replied, “My place, 3:00 tomorrow afternoon. Tell the sensei you have a practice match with Hyotei. We’ll go over the details.”