#50 from Fluff/Romance/General-- You're a terrible liar. Any pairing 👀 (Stay safe!!)
Fluff #50 -- “You’re a terrible liar.” Wrote RyoSaku for y’all (also kinda a future fic, but not too far into the future.)
“Game and match, Seigaku’s Echizen! 6-3.”
From the sidelines, Sakuno cheered for her boyfriend as he shook hands with the Yamabuki 3rd year. It was the first game of the season, the first one since he’d been appointed captain, and he had already led Seigaku to a decisive victory. She beamed with pride.
“Amazing,” a reporter muttered from next to her, snapping pictures rapidly. “We’re probably going to see Echizen on the challenger circuits this year, won’t we?”
“Yeah, it would be a waste of his talents if he just stuck to playing in high school,” another reporter agreed. “It’s the perfect time for him to start playing outside Japan.”
At this, Sakuno’s eyes suddenly widened. ‘That’s right…’ she thought to herself in realization. ‘Ryoma’s probably leaving soon…’ She always knew that he had to take his talents elsewhere… but she didn’t think that it’d be so soon. Especially since after crushing hard on him for five years, they’d finally, finally begun dating.
She quietly excused herself from the group to be alone with her thoughts. It was a particularly hot day. After strolling through the grounds for a couple minutes, Sakuno leaned up against a tree trunk, taking refuge in the cooler shade.
Before long, a shadow appeared in front of her. “There you are. I was looking for you, where’d you go?”
She smiled halfheartedly. “Ah, just for a walk.”
He peered down at her. “What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing’s wrong.” She forced a cheerful tone in her voice. “You played amazing today, Ryoma-kun.”
He lifted his cap slightly, to get a better read on her face. “You’re a terrible liar, Ryuzaki.”
He knelt down on the grass. “Talk to me,” he said, his voice surprisingly gentle.
Her breath caught, and it took her two tries to get the words out. “I mean… You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?” she finally said, fiddling with the bottom of her skirt. To her horror, tears pricked the corners of her eyes. “To achieve your dreams? You can’t do that here.” You can’t do that if you’re stuck here.
He flopped down next to her, resting his head on her thigh. “What do you know about my dreams?” he said, looking up at her face.
His golden gaze held hers, intense and unwavering, and Sakuno felt her face heat up. “Um… to be the best tennis player in the world, right?”
“That’s true…” He hummed, low in his throat, and she felt her heart drop slightly. “But I have a lot of dreams,” he said. He shot her a look, his expression unreadable, before pulling his cap down over his face.
She thought about asking him what that meant, but fear took over and her words died on her lips. Instead, she ran her fingers through his hair and watched the steady rise and fall of his chest.
A few minutes later, she checked her watch and nearly yelped. “Ryoma-kun, we’re going to be late for the closing ceremony.” She attempted to move her leg, jostling the cap from his face. “Come on, we have to go.”
“Just a little longer,” he mumbled, without opening his eyes. “Just stay with me a little longer.”
Sakuno sighed exasperatedly. They were going to be reprimanded again. He was always getting her in trouble, into some sort of mischief. As responsible as she liked to think she was, he could probably get her to do almost anything.
The thought was both treacherous and hopeful. For him, she’d do almost anything.
“Okay,” she said softly. “Just a little longer.”
