Current mood:	energetic
Current music:	Korn - Got the Life
Entry tags:	anime/manga, fan fiction, prince of tennis, writing

PoT drabble #23 & new layout!
Drabble written for: beckymarie (who is sharing with yin_taku until I can write hers)
Series: Prince of Tennis
Characters: Tezuka, Oishi
Genre: WAFF
Title: Change
Note: The drabble is a gifty for the new layout and goes hand and hand with it. *bounces about* Lookie! New Layout!



Change

The crickets were always a constant, sounding endlessly in the darkness of night.

The tent, however, was something new.

Hands pillowed under his head, Tezuka stared upwards. There was just enough moonlight to make out the sway of the trees. The dark shadows of leaves ghosted across the light plastic moving as a light wind made waves in the thin material. It was calming to watch, Tezuka supposed, but not nearly as interesting as the stars.

He turned his head and stared at the screened window that was zipped tightly shut. He groped about, his fingers falling first over the soft material of the sleeping bag before finding his glasses. He sat up, settled his glasses, and reached to undo the zipper. The noise seemed so loud that Tezuka was sure he had woken his friend. Worried, he glanced over his shoulder, but Oishi hadn't stirred.

Tezuka took a deep breath, enjoying the feel of wind upon his face. Now he could see the stars. It was a perfect fall night, far too beautiful to be spent in his backyard. It was a bit chilly, but he didn't think the tent was really necessarily. It felt awkward and stifling, he missed the freedom of sleeping under the stars. The world seemed endless when you could stare at the sky, and watch the stars for hours upon end. Or when you could look down the edge of a mountain, and the city would look minute in comparison. Or when you could look out into the distance and imagine you could see the edge of the horizon.

He missed that. It always put the world into perspective; it kept him grounded. There were fleeting moments when he seemed small and alone, as if unsure of his place or his role in the world. Yet, those feelings would always fade away quietly like the last rays of the sunset. Life was a constant like a sunset.

And yet, he had been denied his mountain and his stars. This hadn't been the last outdoor trip that he'd envisioned. The time away from school was too short and had gone by far too quickly. The blanket shifted off him slightly, but he paid it no mind. He could barely feel the breeze, and would have opened the other window if it were an option. Things had changed, Tezuka realized, and would only continue to do so.

Second year would be starting in just a few days and it would all be different. Yamato wouldn't be around. Tezuka supposed he should be nervous, but he wasn't. He had never found the older members intimidating, foolish at times, but he was never afraid. Instead, he viewed their second year as a trial run for the nationals. Oishi would have to work hard to join the regulars, and Tezuka would do his best as well. They made a promise after all.

The blanket shifted again, and Tezuka turned his head watching Oishi draw it closer. Tezuka sighed. Oishi's mother hadn't been keen on the idea of a mountain climbing trip, and this had been the solution. He supposed he should have been upset at the compromise, but it didn't feel like an inconvenience, nor did it feel like a sacrifice. It was just different, Tezuka thought.

Oishi rolled over hugging the soft material to his small frame. Tezuka yawned. Sleep was really something he should try to do. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable. With two sleeping bags opened wide beneath them, he couldn't feel the hardness of the ground. Even if he could, that never seemed to bother him. They had opted for comfort instead of warmth, a decision Oishi didn't seem to be following through on. He was shivering, despite having the entire blanket now.

Tezuka sat up slightly, propping himself up on his elbows. He shifted carefully, tugging up one of the sleeping bags as he went. Slowly, he draped the heavy cotton over his friend, and watched as Oishi's restlessness stopped.

A year ago, Tezuka would have been camping up in the mountains. He would have been sleeping under the stars and watching the constellations drift lazily by. Then again, he would have been alone, or with his father. Instead, he had a friend who didn't seem all that suited to sleeping outdoors. Despite the tent, and the partially obscured stars, Tezuka had no complaints. The companionship made up for it.

Even if they weren't talking, it was comforting to have someone at his side. It wasn't just because of the promise. They would make it to the Nationals, but in their determination to do so, they had also formed another promise. An unspoken one, about friendship. It was comforting really.

Besides, Tezuka wasn't one to cuddle with a blanket, and he supposed he could look at the stars anytime. He lay back down, tugging the zipper closed. He watched the shadows play across the roof. It wasn't the same, but it some ways, it was better.

Tezuka rested his head on the pillow, and let his eyes shut. The crickets continued to chirp and he let the sound carry his thoughts into sleep. It almost seemed wrong that change could feel so right.

Although, in truth, he had only exchanged one constant for another.

~fin~