Prince Of Tennis Fan Fiction ❯ Atobe's Birthday Present ❯ Chapter 1

"Title"

A _Price of Tennis_ Fanfiction

By Andrea Readwolf [andrea_readwolf @hotmail.com]

Chapter: 1/1

Rating: PG-13

Pairings: AnTobe

Genre: Romance

Warnings: OOC for some; hetero-relationship; AU

Spoilers: none

Summary: Atobe's bithrday

Disclaimer: Tennis no Ohjisama, characters and settings are the property of Konomi Takeshi.

Date Started: September 29, 2004

Status: complete

Revised:

Word Count: 2347

Atobe Keigo awoke with the alertness of one whom has always awoken at the same time everyday. Slowly, he isolated each body part from his toes to his neck before extending his senses outside of himself and to the room in general.

It was raining outside--the typhoon hovering over the southern island saw fit to dump torrents of water down upon the rest of the country. The rain also brought with it cooler air, but that was fine. Keigo's bed was warm and soft and--occupied.

He smiled and turned to his side, curving around the soft warm body and pressing his face into the sweet vanilla scented auburn hair. His arm draped casually around his companion's waist, his fingers sweeping over the small swell of an otherwise flat stomach.

His companion stirred, the sleepy murmurings of protest falling from coral pink lips. "Morning already?"

His lips found the curve of a shoulder, and his hand slid under the ridiculous tee shirt his companion insisted on wearing to bed. "Yes."

The soft, warm body pressed against his in a stretch, and then sat up abruptly, knocking Keigo's hands and chin away.

"It's raining."

"How observant," Keigo muttered, rubbing his abused chin. "Where---come back to bed," he demanded when the other scrambled out from under the covers and threw open the French doors to his balcony patio.

He sat up in bed and watched with annoyed amusement as his companion threw out her arms and tilted her head back and laughed up into the crying sky. "Ann, come back inside," he ordered. "You'll catch a cold."

Her white tee shirt was already soaked through; the outline of her breasts strained proudly against the nearly transparent material, and the black boxer shorts she wore clung to her thighs. Her red hair plastered to her face and neck, and her already pale skin seemed brighter in the morning haze.

"Will you make me chicken soup and feed me fresh fruit when I'm ill?" she teased.

He huffed at the very thought. "I'll have my personal physician visit you," he replied, throwing back the coverlet to climb out of bed himself.

"Dance with me?" she asked, holding out her hands to him and taunting him with her smile.

"It's cold outside," he pointed out, approaching the doors. "And wet."

"I thought you liked to dance," she returned, stepping away from the stone railing.

"I do," he answered, taking her hands and pulling her to him even as she pulled him outside and into the rain.

"Dance with me in the rain?" she asked again, her breath warm against his cheek and lips as he lowered his mouth to hers. .

Cold rain pattered against his bare back, trickled down into the waist of his silk boxers. His front was already wet from Ann's body plastered against his... but he didn't mind so much. Not when his arms were wrapped around her sweet body and his hands squeezed her lush little ass in the way that made her moan and press against him.

"Make love with me?" he whispered in her ear before kissing the sensitive area where neck and jaw met.

"Keigo--don't," she protested weakly, her hands pressing against his upper arms and shoulders. "You know how I feel--"

He silenced her with another kiss and reached up to palm her breast. "Make love with me," he repeated, his lips hovering over hers as the rain slid down both their faces.

"It doesn't matter how many times you kiss me," she teased breathlessly. "My answer will still be the same."

He knew this. She knew he knew this. In over three months' time in which she'd shared his bed, she'd always kept to her word. Even from the very beginning of their relationship, she had always been brutally honest with him. She wanted love and a family, and although she may share his bed, sleep with him, kiss him, touch him, allow him to kiss and touch her in return, she would not consent to having sex with him. Would not consent to having sex with anyone unless--

"What if I asked you to marry me?" he asked, watching for her reaction intently.

The spark of hope flashed in her blue-gray eyes before hurt clouded them, and she pulled a fist away from his shoulder to thump it against his chest angrily. "Don't even pretend to make empty promises to me," she told him harshly, turning away to stalk back into the room.

He looked after her, somewhat amused. After all, most girls would have fallen all over themselves just to have Atobe Keigo give them a second look. But, then, Tachibana Ann had never been like 'most girls', he thought fondly, following her back inside.

She was yanking at the innocent drawers to his bureau, reaching for the few articles of clothing she'd agreed to leave here, even though he'd told her she could move her entire wardrobe into his closet if she wished--he had plenty of space, after all, and she did spend more time at his residence than she did at her own modest apartment.

"Ann," he started, appreciating the fine lines of her back as she yanked the wet tee shirt off.

"No. Don't start," she snapped. "I refuse to get into an argument on your birthday."

"Ah, so you remembered," he replied, still amused as he pressed himself against her back, blocking her attempts to fasten her bra.

"Of course I remember," she growled, shoving at him with the shoulder he tried to kiss. "Keigo, get off--you've only been mentioning it every day for the last three weeks."

He grabbed her hips and buried his face in her throat. "Come back to bed. Let's make love," he repeated his request, rocking his hips against her ass, sure she could feel the heavy press of his hardened arousal.

"Keigo, please..."

"Want you..."

"You want whatever you can't have," she replied, bowing her head against the wooden frame of his bureau.

He turned her around. "I want you," he repeated.

"But not enough to want to marry me," she returned matter-of-factly.

"I already asked you to marry me," he reminded her, a slight quirk to his lips.

"You--" She looked up at him in disbelief. "You don't mean to say you were serious," she demanded.

"I would think you would have been in my company long enough to know I would never be anything less that serious about such a matter."

"But--" Her lips moved without an articulate sound before she finally managed to squawk out, "But you don't *want* to get married, to anyone!"

"I think," Keigo said, fingers moving on their own accord to remove a wet clump of dark red hair from Ann's cheek. "That if it was you, I could make an exception. Although it would be a shame to crush all my loyal fans' hopes and dreams."

"You are such an ass," Ann sighed, shaking her head bemusedly.

"But you love me," Keigo returned assuredly.

"What gave you that bright idea?" she asked, her natural wit returning to her voice.

He smiled and pressed in closer to her, bringing her lips to his. "You dare deny it?"

"I am in awe by your prowlness," she mocked.

"Not yet, but you will be," he promised, picking her up from around the waist and forcibly carrying her back to bed.

"Keigo!" she screeched, laughing and banging her fists against his shoulders. "Put me down!"

He did, laying her back onto the bed and moving to cover her with his body. "I'm waiting for your answer," he told her, running and hand from hip to breast and up to curve around her neck.

"I'm waiting for your question," she replied, breathing heavily and watching him intently.

"What? Not satisfactory enough for you?" he scoffed. "Fine," he huffed, rolling away from her to reach into his bedside table. When he returned, it was with a jewelry box tucked in his palm.

"You're---" Ann blinked, sitting up and looking from the box in his hand to Keigo's face. "You really mean it?"

"If you don't like it, it can be exchanged for something else," Keigo said with a forced air of nonchalance as he handed the box to her.

Her fingers trembled when she took it from him. "You're supposed to be the one to receive presents on your birthday," she told him, watching the box as if waiting for it to disappear.

"Open it," he pressed.

She fumbled over the tiny fastening on the box until he had to take it from her and opening it himself. "It was my great-grandmother's," he informed her. "I had it resized, so it should fit."

"You planned this." She looked up at him with wide accusing eyes and he couldn't prevent the smile he felt tugging at his lips.

"Perhaps," he admitted, leaning in to drop a kiss on her shoulder.

"But--how long? Why now?" she asked.

"Well, it was Yuushi who pointed out that you were as much my wife already in all but name," Keigo answered smoothly. "I will admit to the thought having crossed my mind a time or two before. Now just seemed... right."

"I--"

Keigo waited, but she didn't say anything else. "If you don't want to," he began hesitantly, reaching out to take the ring box back.

But she refused to relinquish it. Instead, determined blue-grey eyes sought his, and she demanded, "Do you love me?"

He blinked. "I care for you very much," he returned.

"I know you care, but do you *love* me?" she asked.

Keigo leaned back onto his elbow and looked at her--sitting cross-legged in his bed, still damp from her bout out in the morning rainstorm, hair a tangled mess, clad only in soggy black boxer shorts, the ring box clasped tightly in her lap, looking back at him.

He realized it was probably one of the worst times he'd see her look--and he'd never seen her look more attractive to him, either.

"Yes."

Her breath hitched; her eyes slid shut for a moment before looking back at him. "Say it."

He took a deep breath. Damn her and her determined pride, even if it was one of the things he loved about her....

Keigo reached out and touched her cheek...her chin... her neck. "I love you, Ann," he said softly, and he exalted in the way her body seemed to melt into his. Her arms reached up to wrap around his neck, and her breasts crushed against his chest. Her face pressed into his shoulder, and she held onto him as if she never planned on letting go.

After a moment of just holding her, he asked, "Well, aren't you going to tell me you love me, too?"

"I thought you already knew?" came her muffled reply.

"Perhaps I'd like to hear you say it," he returned, petting her hair gently.

She sniffed, and pulled back, rubbing at her moist eyes. "I love you, Atobe Keigo. Gods know why, and against better sense, but I do."

"I think it shows extreme good sense," he announced, and she laughed, and fell into his lap again.

"You would," she told him. "Here, will you put it on for me?" she asked, offering him the ring box.

"Already attempting to order me around?" he asked, amused as he took the box from her and removed the ring. He held it up in the blue-grey light of a rain-cast morning. "Will you consent to being my wife, Tachibana Ann?"

She took a breath, and exhaled. "Yes," she answered, pecking a quick kiss against his lips.

Hardly enough to satisfy Keigo, and so he followed after her and extended the kiss into something much more gratifying for them both.

"It's not yet seven, and we don't have to be anywhere until six-thirty," he informed her, pressing her back into the mattress. "Shall we consummate our engagement?"

"Mmm, keep that up and I'll begin to think the only reason you proposed to me is to get me to have sex with you," she replied, tilting her head back to allow his lips better access to her throat.

"Well, that was definitely a consideration." He fastened his lips over one particular spot and sucked, hard. She cried out, but he didn't stop until he was sure the mark would last longer than a few measly hours. "And then there was the added bonus that any children we might have would be phenomenal. Graced with good looks, intelligence, a strong spirit, and undeniable skills."

"Ch-children!" she cried out. "But I thought you didn't want--"

He kissed her again. "A husband and family. That was what you told me you wanted. Do you remember?" She nodded. "And I want you."

"I want you, too."

"Then it's settled. I'll ring to have brunch sent up, and we can spend the entire day in bed," he announced, laying over her and angling in to kiss her again.

"Wait! We can't just spend the entire day in bed!" she protested.

Keigo frowned. "Why ever not? It's my birthday. I can do whatever I want. And what I want is to spend the day making love to my fiancée."

"Keigo!" she cried when his mouth found her breast. "I have work..."

"Quit."

"I am *not* quitting my job."

"Call in sick, then," he offered.

"I am not wasting a sick day-"

"Then take a personal day, or whatever, but you are *not* leaving this bed until it's time to get ready for tonight's party," he exclaimed, looking at her in exasperation.

She stared up at his, wide-eyed, and then grinned. "Well, when you put it that way...."

Keigo was too surprised at first to catch her when Ann scrambled off the bed, laughing, but he quickly caught up, tackling her to the floor halfway to the balcony.

She never did make it into work that day; and they were both late to the party.

~~~****~~~

~The End~