Mainichi (Every Day)
Author's Note: This is going to be a collection of drabbles and short stories. The title comes from the fact that most of them are random every-day-life stories, and because I'm trying to write one each day. The date they're written will be always be posted, and I have a few in reserve, so they won't always be in order. They're mostly going to be about characters from Hyoutei (they are my favorite team...) but other schools might sneak in occasionally. Some of them will contain shounen-ai (or whatever you want to call it) and some will not. Pairings most likely to show up are Oshitari/Gakuto, Silver Pair, Atobe/Jiroh. I warn you, some of these might be a little crackish.
Please review!
Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis and its characters do not belong to me. Believe me, if it did, you'd know.
Title: Freedom
date written: 10-10-06
Fire was a mix of orange and red. Likewise the horns, tongue, tail and eyes were red. The shirt was blue, because there was too much red already and he didn't want to wear out his crayons unevenly. Hooves could be black. The pitchfork….
Jiroh frowned a little as he continued his picture. He was, for once, awake during class. He had gone to great pains to make it so, and was now almost regretting his actions. Sensei had said, however, that if she caught him sleeping in class again today that she would give him detention for a week. While Jiroh didn't usually mind detention that much—it was just another place to sleep, after all—the regulars were playing practice matches this week and he didn't want to miss a second of it. Far more exciting than their usual drills, watching the regulars practice, and participating, of course, would be the highlight of the month. And there was always the chance that he might get to play Atobe.
So, in deference to sensei's wishes, Jiroh had "convinced" Gakuto to give him the cupcake from his lunch. With any luck the sugar would keep him awake throughout the next class period. It was a trick he had learned from watching Marui at Rikkai Dai, and he figured he should try it since Marui was awesome and knew what he was doing.
Unfortunately it had worked a little too well. Not only was he awake, he was also in a rather silly mood. And he had remembered why he slept through class in the first place—it was boring. He already knew how to solve algebraic equations, thankyouverymuch, and had no inclination to listen to sensei rattle on about them for an hour. Staring out the window wasn't much fun either, so he had unpacked his crayons, figuring that sensei only said she would give him detention if she caught him sleeping, and had not mentioned drawing, or even paying attention.
Silly sensei.
There was altogether too much red, Jiroh decided. When he had started drawing the picture of sensei as the devil, he hadn't considered that he would need so much red. Putting the picture aside, he started a new one. This time he decided he wanted to draw something happy, like a field of flowers and bunnies and sheep. Cheerfully, he began drawing, adding the grass and the sky, the clouds, the sun. He then began working on the flowers, picking the colors with care and trying to make sure they were the happiest ones he could find.
Finishing the last flower, he put down his crayon and moved to stretch a little. The movement jostled the desk, and the crayon wobbled and rolled towards the edge, stopping at the last second.
Jiroh looked at the crayon, which had rolled to the side of his desk that was next to the window. He looked out the window and then back at the crayon again.
Poor crayon, he thought, it wants to go outside.
He knew how it felt. He had been wishing he could go outside and play tennis since lunch. Briefly he wondered if the students who stayed awake in class felt like this all the time. Dismissing the thought as to depressing to think about, he focused again on the crayon.
The crayon was wobbling a little as he moved, almost looking like it was straining towards the window.
Tears welled up in Jiroh's eyes. The crayon felt confined, he saw, trapped. It wanted to go outside! It wanted to be free!
In a fit of empathy, Jiroh understood and, rising, threw open the window.
"BE FREE, CRAYON!" he cried, pitching the desperate object as far as he could, "BE FREEEE!!"
Glad to have helped a friend in need, Jiroh sat down triumphantly.
The rest of the class stared at him.
Jiroh continued his picture.
Somehow he didn't think sensei was going to insist that he stay awake in class anymore.
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Atobe wasn't exactly happy when, as he was walking towards the principal's office to deliver a message, a crayon sailed out of the sky and hit him on the head.
Affronted, he stared at the thing for a moment before picking it up off the ground.
"Pretty Princess Pink" he read.
He stared for a moment longer and then sighed as he deposited the crayon in his pocket. He would return it to Jiroh at practice, perhaps accompanied by a lecture, perhaps not. Atobe had seen Jiroh pilfer Gakuto's cupcake at lunch, and he concluded that there was no one else the flying crayon could possibly belong to.
Atobe continued on his way with the crayon, denied its freedom after all, secure in his pocket.