A/N: For Meruru - HaveYouNoMercy - because she's been expecting this for ages. Meru, please don't kill me when your eyes start to bleed. D:
Except for One
Marui had always loved candy, no matter what. There were some he liked more than he did others, but in general, it was fine with him. As long as it was candy, of course. He knew almost every single flavour there was in Japan, and had several favourites he liked to squeal over. Because that's who Marui was, is, and will be.
However, there were some people who thought his love for candy was a complete and utter obsession. They left him alone, treated him like an outcast, and stared at him with disapproval in their eyes.
Before he knew it, all of his friends left him, shooed away by their parents.
"He's a freak," they all insisted. Marui paid no mind, but continued to wander around, carrying a pack of apple green bubble gum in his pocket.
--
Marui turned ten. His red hair flashed as he ran from swing to swing at the playground, his teeth busy chewing at the hard, sweet candy in his mouth. His face slightly flushed, his amethyst orbs glinted in happiness, and his mouth curved upwards in a small smile.
Then he stopped running.
Marui knew that it would be lame to create an 'imaginary friend'. After all, he was much too cool and awesome to have one. He probably didn't have enough time to play with it.
But Marui sighed and shuffled his feet around, frowning. It definitely would be nice to have someone to play with though. Someone real, that he could see and poke and laugh around with.
The redhead jammed his fist into his hand, groping for the smooth packet of gum in his pocket. He was getting all sniffly, and he didn't like getting sniffly, because usually it was his own fault for thinking of things that make him all sniffly. He didn't like it.
But candy would solve the problem.
Marui climbed into the small tube connecting the playground together and curled up in there for a short while. Frustrated at himself, he swiped at his eyes hurriedly. If someone was to see him like this…
Then Marui shook his head. No, there would be no one coming to play with him anyway. No one would walk past. No one would walk by and want to play with him.
They thought he was a freak.
"Boo!"
Marui jumped, yelped, and looked to the side beseechingly, his eyes wide. No one ever scared him like that before.
The other boy laughed. "I scared you, didn't I?" He crawled in the tube himself and grinned at Marui as if he was his best friend. Marui just stared at him, his mouth closed, and shoved over to leave him some space.
His new companion had bright orange hair, which was very strange, for Marui, and wide, friendly eyes, something Marui hadn't seen since he was six. He looked around the same age as Marui himself, and Marui became puzzled. He hadn't seen this boy around before.
"Who are you?" Marui heard himself ask. He blinked. He hadn't meant to say that, but left it alone as the other figure grinned again at him.
"Akutagawa Jirou," he announced, banging a fist to his chest proudly. Then he coughed a bit. He'd bumped his chest a little too hard. "I'm here for two weeks, visiting my grandma!" he said, grinning. "I come from Tokyo," he added, oblivious to the fact that the other boy might not be listening.
Marui was baffled. Actually talking to a kid his age was rare nowadays. But this guy was talking in a way he hadn't been spoken to in a long time. It was nostalgic, yet there was something about it that felt strangely off.
"You…come from Tokyo," he repeated, an inquiring look in his eyes.
Jirou nodded in reply, and then looked around. "I thought there'd be more people here. Are you waiting here by yourself?"
Marui nodded slowly. "You…haven't heard?"
"About what?"
"I…" Marui bit his tongue. It was nice to finally have a playmate. If he told Jirou about the rumours, there was a high probability that Jirou would leave him alone now. He shook his head. "Never mind."
Jirou tilted his head to the side. "Are you going to be here every day now?"
"I always am here."
Jirou grinned again, and his smile seemed to light up, much like a light bulb. "Okay! I'll see you here again then!" Then he paused. "You haven't told me your name yet," he pointed out.
Marui smiled, a little bit. Maybe having a friend for a while wouldn't hurt. After all, it had been quite a while since he had one.
"…Marui. Marui Bunta."
--
The two had gotten pretty well over the next few weeks. Marui hadn't dared to be seen chewing sweets or gum. Jirou was a nice friend, and Marui didn't know what he'd do if Jirou abandoned him as well. He found Jirou a little strange, and at times extremely sleepy, but all in all, he was a good friend.
That's why Marui nearly jumped out of his feet when he saw Jirou chewing gum one day. It was bright green, like the brand and flavour he had chewed many times before he'd met Jirou. Marui kept staring, and Jirou looked at him, puzzled.
"Marui-kun, do you not like sweets?"
It took a while for Marui to react, and he raised a shoulder in a sort of half-shrug.
Jirou frowned. "You should really try them," he advised, holding out a piece of gum to the redhead. "I think you'd like them." He waggled the piece of gum back and forth.
Marui's eyes couldn't help but wander back and forth to the piece of gum's movement. Then he blinked a few times. "It's not that…it's not that I don't like them," he said finally.
"Then do you want a piece?" Jirou's face brightened hopefully. Marui didn't like the way his eyes glittered at this moment because if his eyes glittered any more, Marui was afraid he'd drop back into his sweet obsession.
"No thanks, I'm alright." Marui waved his hand at him and looked away.
Jirou frowned deeper. He held the piece of gum right up to Marui's nose. "Doesn't it smell good?" he dragged the words out, still waggling it in the air.
Marui held his breath.
Jirou sighed and popped the piece into his own mouth. "Are you sick or something?"
"…No…"
"Why not then?"
Marui sighed. Then he told him about his past.
--
"…Freak…"
--
"You're not a freak."
Marui jumped. He hadn't expected Jirou's voice to come so suddenly. And as he registered Jirou's words slowly, his eyes widened. This was the first time someone, out of his family, told him he wasn't a freak.
"I…" Marui bit his lip.
Jirou had a contemplative look on his face, and then he turned to look at Marui, an honest look in his eyes, his eyes shining with both trust and truth.
But that expression disappeared when Jirou grinned at Marui, an action Marui knew would accompany Jirou for the rest of his life.
"I think you're pretty cool, Marui-kun!" Then his smile widened, if possible.
Silence enthused, and the two of them sat there on the swings, staring at each other. Jirou beaming, and Marui just staring, blinking.
Then the redhead's eyes softened.
"…Thanks."
If possible, Jirou's grin widened further. "But you'd be much cooler if you started eating sweets again, Marui-kun. Don't mind the people around you. Because if you're not yourself, you'll keep lying to yourself."
Marui kept silent for a few moments. Then he smiled as well, his purple eyes twinkling mischievously. "Hey, you wanna give me a piece of that gum now?"
Jirou laughed and laughed.
--
Jirou left the day after. But Marui knew he wouldn't forget him, that interesting, childish facial expression. The person who would do something stupid, and then make up for it by saying something Marui would be amazed at, something really deep and smart.
Marui was grateful for making a friend like that, because his words remained true. He entered middle school, and met others, who simply accepted him as who he was.
He was happy.
--
And a few years later, they met again. Marui with that piece of gum perched in between his lips, and Jirou, with that same big grin that was probably glued to his face.
Jirou grinned.
Marui popped his bubblegum.
Yes, they were happy.
--
Owari
2009. 07. 09