Additional Tags: Humor, Fluff, Crack, Everyone blames Tsukasa, Mom friend Hojo Emu, jealous Philip, Dad friend Tomari Shinnosuke, Everyone hates Decade, Everyone treats Takeru and Sougo like a baby, cursing, Innuendos by the dozen, Lots of characters and ships, No Rider is straight, Group chat
Okay but scrambled Memories!Reiji instead asking if Daisuke is his boyfriend or not
Daisuke: *fussing over Reiji* *lecturing him about being reckless* *making him a katsudon*
Reiji: ...Say, I'm not forgetting anything else about you, am I?
Daisuke: ...What do you mean?
Reiji: *awkwardly* Well... with the way you act... you kinda look like you're my boyfriend... so I thought I just forgot that we were together, especially since I get all these fuzzy feelings about you...
Daisuke: *flustered* N-No! I'm not- We're not like that! I- What do you mean you get fuzzy feelings about me?
Reiji: *also flustered* I- I dunno, I just... I just feel them! You know, the kind you get when you look at someone you really like? *more quiet* I think you're really cute... You're so nice to me even if my brain's all scrambled... but I think... no, I know I felt this way even before....?
Daisuke: *gaping at Reiji* *Taisa.exe has stopped working*
Reiji: *hides face in arms from embarrassment*
WaniPat, Luminous duo, Amou: *eating popcorn while watching this soap opera*
amnesiac reiji but he’s not with Daisuke and Ibaru Alliance also flirting with him. Once back to normal Reiji is just hanging with Shout and realizes from experience hems in love with Daisuke and needs to confess soon
Imagine Shout watching the cogs turn in Reiji's head when he makes that realization 😂Then when Reiji starts grinning like a maniac he gets scared of him...
Then they finally cross paths with the Gavan crew and as soon as Reiji sees Daisuke he has hearts in his eyes. Shout tries to stop him from embarrassing himself but fails, and Reiji just declares his love for Daisuke right then and there, yelling it right into the fucking Omegahorn for people within a 10 km radius to hear
Daisuke facepalms, but he accepts the confession so now that idiot is now his idiot
Brainwashed Reiji scenario but he snaps out of it when Daisuke accidentally declares his love for him
Damn... gay love saved the day again
Daisuke screams in embarrassment while Reiji hugs him and twirls him around and calls him the greatest boyfriend ever (he skipped a few steps there) and kisses him in front of a gobsmacked crowd of onlookers, the Gavan crew, the Ibaru Alliance, Shout and co, etc
Let me talk to you about Prince of Tennis. Goddamn Prince of Tennis.
Okay, after you read like half way through it you would be like, this shit cannot be real and you cannot decide even if your life depends on it whether it is a pure sports manga or it is about supernatural sport manga because I swear some of the stuffs they pull in there are definitely not natural, even if you are Roger Federer you can’t reach that level. And Roger Federer is practically a god anyway. As you get deeper into it, Prince of Tennis is more like a video game or like Dragonball where the more experience you gain allow you to unlock different levels of power as your opponents get stronger. It sounds silly now that I put it into words but honestly, the key to unlock those powers is actually pretty cool and meaningful despite anything.
But seriously, if you expect realistic portrayal of tennis game, then you came to the wrong neighbourhood.
But if you expect realistic heart-wrenching friendships and sportsmanship then Prince of Tennis welcomes you with both its arms and legs just come in friend and then cry your heart out I will cry with you that’s for sure.
The thing that made me stay for it in the end was the friendship, not just between the Seigaku regulars, but between each team, because yeah, they can battle it out on the court, they can be competitive as fuck, because let’s face it, they have a goal and Seigaku have a goal. However, off the court, they are friends and willing to help each other even if they are rivals. It doesn’t matter which school you are, what matter is the friendship. Because Atobe can be an arrogant jerk but you can see he that care about Tezuka, not just because he does not want to loose his rival but also that he doesn’t want to loose his friend, and that’s something profound. Sometimes, the tennis doesn’t matter, but the friendship is. Beautiful, lasting friendship that can change your life for the better.
Prince of Tennis isn’t a story about the underdog either. Ryoma Echizen isn’t an underdog, no matter what you see. Sure, there are people stronger than him, like Yukimura or Sanada or Atobe, but not by far. It isn’t the age-old story about a normal, average guy but with slightly above average talent in tennis either. Prince of Tennis is a story about growth and change. At the beginning, Ryoma is simply being a copy of his father, trying to break out of his shadow, but Seigaku pushes him to be himself, to find his own place in the world of tennis, to find the crucial thing that he is missing in his tennis. With each match, he grows. With a new friend he made, he changes, until he found the thing he has been missing - the joy of playing tennis. Just the sheer joy of playing against someone, playing with friends, playing for your team and playing for yourself, not burden by goal or competition. And that’s to me is a simple but profound message - play for the passion and love, not the prizes.
But it is a ridiculous story too. I mean it feels like ALL THE HOT GUYS IN THE SCHOOL join the tennis club. And by some freaky coincidence, ALL THOSE HOT GUYS ARE WEIRDOS. Like even the people you thought to be the most sane and grounded are weirdos. Each and every single one of them has their own brand of weird and you feel like you just fell into the rabbit hole and travel to the world of Gintama because there can’t be possibly that many weirdos in a school who happened to be hot guys. And there are a lot of guys too. LIKE A SHIT TON OF GUYS. So there are shit tons of pairings that you can choose, and sometimes when you can’t you decided to just fuck it and go with OT3 or OT5 or OT6 (which I occasionally do because I CAN’T CHOOSE I WANT EVERYONE TO BE IN LOVE AND BE IN A BIG HAREM). Female characters are rare sometimes you forget there are women in that world but then you remember these guys have to come from somewhere. Sometimes you forget that these guys are GODDAMN MIDDLE SCHOOLERS, okay. THIS IS NOT A DRILL TEZUKA IS NOT A SENSEI I REPEAT TEZUKA IS NOT A SENSEI. Which bring back the guilt and shame when you ship Ryoma with anyone older because the kid is like 12, 13, ridiculously short and cute (personally I want to steal Karupin shhhh).
Yet I love it. I love every moment of it, every tears and every match and every crazy situation. I watched them fail and stand up again, I watched they fight battles that seemingly impossible. I watched them grown and matured. I watched them becoming a family. And I love all of them, every single one of them.
So if you ever wanted something simple and sweet, Prince of Tennis is for you. Don’t blame me if you started crying by the end though.
Angsty that turns into funny scenario: Daisuke takes a habit of wearing one of Reiji’s jackets in private when he went MIA. Once it’s announced Reiji’s back, Daisuke runs up to meet him not realizing he’s still wearing said jacket
...wow. This became a whole fic lmao
Daisuke found it when he was boxing up Reiji's stuff- with him gone so long, the lease on his apartment was almost up, and though he paid enough to cover his rent until then, without him around to renew it, the landlord was getting antsy about getting his stuff out of there so he could have a new tenant moved in.
Reiji didn't have many belongings. The furniture was the landlord's, so between him, Wanibuchi, and Patrun, they managed to pack everything up in a few hours- Reiji's mattress and beddings, his clothes and toiletries, his cookware, tableware and utensils, and some trinkets all fit in the back of a K-van. They took it all to a storage unit Daisuke used for some of his stuff.
Unknown to WaniPat, Daisuke had taken Reiji's jacket- the one he usually wore, not the uniform jacket of the Galaxy Police- and hid it hastily while they packed up Reiji's other clothes. Daisuke hid it under the seat when they loaded up the van and kept it there until he separated from them for the night.
Despite feeling silly about it, once he was alone in his room, he buried his nose into the jacket and took a big whiff. It still faintly smelled like the detergent they found, mixed with the cologne he knew Reiji liked, and maybe even a little like anpan. He hesitated for a moment, then put on the jacket over his pjs. It was a little big on him, but it wasn't a bad fit...
Gods, I miss him so much I'm doing something stupid like this, he thought. But still... it feels kinda nice... like he's hugging me somehow... It was a ridiculous thought, but comforting, if only a little.
His heart was aching again as his thoughts wandered to Reiji, wondering why he left so abruptly, that he left his favorite jacket behind...
That he left him behind...
Daisuke sighed, trying to keep himself from crying as he curled up on his bed, still wearing the jacket, and drifted off into a fitful sleep, still thinking of Reiji.
=====
Months later, Daisuke was already in the habit of wearing Reiji's jacket when he was alone at home, just trying to get through each day without having a meltdown of some kind. Even though it was starting to smell a little less like Reiji each day, he still often put his nose into the fabric as if trying to memorize his scent.
Sometimes he dared to bring it on the Cosmo Gavarion, wearing it when it was only him aboard. He never wore it around WaniPat and the other Gavans and their teams. He knew they would just pity him even more than they already did.
The only one who knew his little secret was Kunai, who paid him a visit one night, walking through the wall unannounced as he was wont to do into his apartment. He didn't say anything about him wearing the jacket, but after he gave his report on the Reiji hunt he gave him a sad smile and gripped his shoulder in support.
Then... one day, while the Gavans deployed to a new world to respond to a buildup of Nega Emorgy... they found him.
They found Reiji.
He was wearing an odd outfit and styled his hair differently and had a new posse following him, but the gentle head pats he gave Kiki when she tackle-hugged him all told them that he really was their Reiji.
Daisuke had been aboard the Cosmo Gavarion, monitoring the Nega Emorgy levels from his end in orbit. But as soon as he saw it was their Reiji, he quickly flew over to their location, set it to land itself and jumped out of it to join everyone.
Reiji took a step back, but paused and blinked rapidly as Daisuke marched up to him. "Taisa?" He barely got the nickname out before Daisuke hugged him.
"Don't even bother, I'm just glad you're alright," Daisuke sighed. "But I will kill you if you pull this shit on me again."
"Okay, okay," Reiji acquiesced. "I missed you, Taisa."
"Missed you too, idiot Reiji..."
They let go of each other only to see the Gavans and their crew looking at Daisuke oddly, except for Kunai who was barely resisting a snicker. Reiji, too, gave Daisuke a once-over, making him self-conscious. "W-what? Why are you guys looking at me like that?"
"Uh..." Reiji looked like he was trying to suppress a wide grin. "Taisa, why are you wearing my jacket?"
(Inwardly, he was freaking out about Daisuke wearing his jacket, screaming about how cute he looked in it with it just being a touch oversized on him, and berating himself for how much he liked the idea of Daisuke wearing his clothes...)
Daisuke looked down at himself. Indeed, he was still wearing Reiji's jacket. The jacket he hadn't wanted anyone else to see him wearing. He started to blush as he realized his blunder. "I... Uh..." Well, there goes my plans of keeping it a secret...
"Wow, he must really like you if he's going around wearing your clothes, Reiji-san!" yelled one of the kids behind Reiji.
"He must have have really missed you, Reiji-san! Go comfort him some more!" added the other kid.
"Kiss and make up already!" yelled the girl with the giant sword slung on her back.
Kunai finally lost control at the comment and doubled over laughing, the girls giggled, and even Setsuna let out a rare, amused snort.
Daisuke groaned, his face heating up more. I am never living this down...
But Reiji tugged Daisuke into him for another hug, bending down to whisper in his ear. "You look really cute in my jacket, Taisa," he teased. "Maybe you should wear it more often..."
Daisuke pouted, embarrassed beyond belief, but managed the courage to respond to the flirting (all while mentally screaming oh my god he just flirted with me, Reiji was flirting with me). "...Take me out for dinner and we'll see."
Reiji (inwardly whooping in joy and screaming triumphantly) laughed. He kissed Daisuke on the top of his head, causing gasps and squeals to erupt all around them. "Alright. It's a date."
=====
Daisuke wore his jacket on their dinner date. Reiji was so happy he almost proposed on the spot.
=====
Omake
"Man, I'm beat..." Reiji stretched as he yawned, wiping his hands on the dish cloth he used to wipe the last of his dishes and tossing it aside. "Time for bed..."
He padded toward the bedroom, eager to get beside his boyfriend and cuddle with him under the covers and fall asleep to the sound of his breathing and heartbeat. It was his second favorite part of the day- the first being waking up with Daisuke in his arms every morning. He yawned again, pausing to look at the clock in the living room.
It was only 9 o clock, but he was already tired and he knew he was in for a long day tomorrow. I may as well turn in early for the night, who knows what fuckery I'm in for tomorrow... he inwardly groaned.
He did get reprimanded by Wigless for being MIA for so long, and he was stuck doing the actual work of the Records Department as punishment. It was tiring, repetitive and boring work, and his back hurt from having to sit for so long while his eyes strained from reviewing so many case files.
But all thoughts of going to bed early fled his mind the moment he stepped into the bedroom and saw Daisuke sitting on the bed, cheeks pink, blinking innocently, and wearing nothing but his jacket. Reiji's favorite jacket.
Reiji's mind struggled to form coherent thought, aside from fuck he's so cute and sexy in my jacket and holy shit since when was my Taisa this bold and wanna fuck him till he can't remember anything but me me me
Daisuke squeaked as Reiji pounced, pinning him onto the bed and lavishing him with kisses all over while hurrying to undress himself. "R-Reiji," he gasped, arching into him. "A-At least let me take your jacket off..."
"Leave it on," Reiji growled in his ear, nibbling on the lobe, grinning when Daisuke shuddered under him. Daisuke gulped when he leaned back to smile wolfishly at him. "You really asked for it this time... so I'm gonna give you exactly what you want."
