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It began so simply. One day, after practice, Momoshiro's face sanguine with the day's exertion, he asked Ryoma if he wanted to go for burgers. It was a touch of normalcy from Momoshiro who, in Ryoma's opinion, had been acting a bit strange all day. So, Ryoma had agreed as was his wont as a hungry growing boy, and everything was suddenly as it always was, until Momoshiro pushed him ahead to order first, then paid for both of them. Perhaps that, in itself, started it all.
The next day, Ryoma paid. He knew that Momoshiro came from a family much larger than his own, and also knew that his allowance was much higher, especially since in Momoshiro's family allowance was based on grades. In fact, Momoshiro had thanked Ryoma profusely for helping him with his English homework since his allowance had been raised almost five dollars a week because of it. It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things, but it was five dollars that Ryoma knew that Momoshiro had started holding back and saving. Perhaps it was for a rainy day.
There, in the beginning, things were simple. Momoshiro always treated Ryoma exactly as he always had, and Ryoma treated Momoshiro with a *bit* more respect, but otherwise acted just as he had before. Perhaps that was the turning point.
They played practice tennis matches and argued over which movies to see and went shopping and it was a strange mixture of boyfriends and best friends that they shared. Ryoma always won their matches, and it varied by how much. On the days when Momoshiro was particularly affectionate, Ryoma would tend to lose by a much smaller margin. Momoshiro wouldn't admit to it, but once he figured it out, he began to ply Ryoma with kisses before and even during their games, peppering the trash talk that they used on the courts with the sweet talk they reserved for elsewhere. Perhaps that was why he finally won a game.
The day after Momoshiro beat Ryoma in a match, he showed up at Ryoma's door in order to pick him up. Ryoma was still asleep, but Momoshiro was allowed to go in to wake him. He did so with a gentle kiss as he nudged Ryoma's shoulder. Ryoma awoke and allowed himself to be fussed over as Karupin padded through the blankets. With the sheets in artful disarray, and the sunlight shining in marked sections through the dusty air, and Momoshiro's lips on his, the moment was ethereal. To Ryoma, it didn't seem as though it was really happening. Could this be the same Momo-senpai who had manipulated him into losing the other day by making him blush so fiercely that he couldn't control himself? Momoshiro drove him crazy sometimes, but it was otherwise a perfect relationship. Perhaps that's what made him question it.
The next time they played a game of tennis, Ryoma refused to respond to Momoshiro's jibes. When he found that Momoshiro continued doggedly to try to trouble his mind, he decided that turnabout was fairplay. Momoshiro had insisted on making out with him before they played tennis. Ryoma's lips were still a bit swollen from the effort. Now, Ryoma used the excuse that he was too hot from that and had to now take off his shirt. Momoshiro had never lost that quickly to Ryoma. To Ryoma, this was a hint of what Momoshiro really wanted him for. Perhaps a warm body and good tennis were all that Momoshiro thought he needed.
Momoshiro understood what was going on, but had no way out of the situation. He had started it, and it was now becoming an endless cycle. But, he was a smart boy. Perhaps he could think of way.
Ryoma was pragmatic about it when he decided that Momoshiro was only using him. Momoshiro plied him for semi-sexual activity, played practice matches with him more often than he had when they were just friends, woke him up at odd hours of the day, and was generally very self-centered about their relationship. Ryoma didn't know much about relationships, but this one didn't feel like the wonderland that the girls in his class said that love was supposed to be. Perhaps that's what made him end it.
Momoshiro was surprised when Ryoma approached him after practice before changing out of his practice clothes. He had plans for today, but Ryoma had asked him to talk with him, and he'd agreed. They walked to the far court and Ryoma sat on the bench. He talked about his feelings (even though the words stumbled on his lips) and explained his regret, and then he looked up at Momoshiro and saw him grinning sadly. Momoshiro pulled a box from his pocket and handed it to Ryoma, telling him to keep it. Ryoma didn't open the box, but he didn't need to. Perhaps this was the way things were supposed to be.
Their friendship was never the same after that, but it was just as good. They knew each other better now, and knew what to avoid. Ryoma got his sleep, Momoshiro kept more of his allowance, and they both were free to do as they pleased: freedom was the ultimate in hedonistic pleasures. Perhaps that, more than anything else, shaped them for the time to come: that realization of what freedom can mean.
One day, many years down the line, Ryoma was cleaning and came across the box that Momoshiro had given him. Curiosity got the best of him and he opened it. The ring inside wouldn't fit any of his fingers now, but it would have fit his finger perfectly back in those days. Perhaps that was Momoshiro's rainy day.
The pair remained friends for the rest of their lives. They never mentioned the ring, though if Ryoma picked up their tab at the bar after a long night a few dozen more times than Momoshiro did, neither of them mentioned it. Perhaps it was for the best.