A/N: Finally a grand total of three BunJi fics on Yay! XD Yes, it's a bit late for a Christmas fic, but I've been busting my bum working on college applications. Bear with me here. XD I warn you, this story contains lots of sugary-sweet shounen-ai fwuff (with a 'w')...But think about it: Jirou is an adorable sugar lump. Marui is a sugar addict. It works...at least in my mind. XP Reviews are love, people!

Disclaimer: I don't own the pretty tennis boys. I just give them lots of sugar and observe what happens.

Cinnamon Sugar

It was common knowledge that Marui Bunta had an incurable sweet tooth. Because of his status as a Rikkai Dai regular, not a day went by in December without admiring girls offering him home-baked tokens of appreciation. Naturally, the redheaded tensai accepted their gifts; sugar was sugar and the boy loved being the object of the girls' veneration. In fact, if he had not already pledged himself to another male tennis player, he might have considered dating some of the fangirls simply because they made him damn good food.

And then there are some that just shouldn't even bother, Marui thought grouchily after almost breaking his teeth on a rather burnt batch of snickerdoodles that some girl had let in his locker. He crumpled the sparkly red and green note that accompanied the cookies and threw it in a nearby trashcan. Despite the fact that it was the first day of the Christmas holidays, the regular was feeling more like Scrooge than his normally cheerful self. Throwing his bag over his shoulder, he wormed his way through the army of high-spirited teenagers in the hallway, out the doors, and into the icy winter air. Over the chorus of cheers and excited conversations, the hypoglycemic regular distinctly heard his stomach growl. He swore to himself. He would have to stop by the convenience store on his way home from school for his sugar fix. Slipping slightly on the ice-covered walkway, the tensai rifled through his coat pockets for spare change or a forgotten gumball or peppermint, anything but the horrible cookies. However, his search was in vain. Swearing again, he pulled out another cookie just to keep himself from passing out on the pavement. Closing his eyes, he wished that the scorched rock he was nibbling would turn into a giant cake, perhaps strawberry-flavored and covered in pink frosting.

Right on cue, Marui's prayers were answered in the form of a flying tackle-glomp from a different fan before he even set foot outside the Rikkai campus.

"MERRY CHRISTMAS, BUN-CHAN!!!"

"Mmmf…Jirou, get off!" the redhead growled, suddenly finding himself flat on his back, pinned to the frozen ground by the blonde. With one hand, he attempted to remove the other boy, while the other groped feebly for the cookies, which had landed some two feet out of his reach. Marui groaned. "Jirou, I can barely breathe!"

"You're drooling!" the Hyotei regular sniggered, his breath condensing in small puffs around his beaming face. "And you haven't even seen what I brought you yet. If those burned things are that good, then I don't have to give this to you, y'know!" He pulled a somewhat squished-looking cardboard cake box out of his racket bag and placed it on Marui's chest. The tensai's eyes grew to the size of tennis balls.

"You. Are amazing," he said, wiggling like a puppy. His eyes sparkled hungrily.

"Nya, that's my line," Jirou replied, still giggling. A small trail of pink icing had squirted through a crack in the corner of the box and leaked onto the weakened Rikkai regular's uniform. With an uncharacteristically demonic grin, the blonde slowly dragged his finger through the spill. Marui glowered at the boy on top of him, who proceeded to lick the glob of pink icing from his fingertip.

Regaining some of his strength in his indignation, the redhead propped himself on his elbows and snapped, "You've been hanging out with that creepy Seigaku kid you worship, haven't you?" He knew Jirou had an odd friendship with the smiling boy (Fuji, was it?), but he did not trust anyone who could beat Kirihara while blind.

Jirou's smirk widened. Marui took this as a 'yes' and flared, but the blonde stopped him. His evil grin changing back into his typical giddy expression, he replied, "No reason to get jealous, Bun-chan. You're still my favorite tensai!"

"I'm not jea- that kid's just SCARY!" Marui said defiantly. His stomach growled again. Feeling dizzy, he slumped back onto the ground. The back of his coat was completely drenched from the melting ice and the frigid wetness had seeped through his coat and uniform and was making the skin on his back sting. Again, as if sensing the Rikkai player's discomfort, Jirou stood. Marui groaned as his aching ribs were relieved from the blonde's weight.

"We don't want anyone to trip over us, do we?" Jirou said cheerfully, sliding the cake box back into his bag. The snickerdoodles were completely forgotten.

"And this is coming from a boy who could fall asleep in the middle of Shibuya during rush hour," Marui muttered, massaging his torso. Getting to his feet, he cast furtive glances around the Rikkai campus. It was already approaching twilight and most of the students had gone home; those that remained appeared uninterested in the two boys. The tensai breathed a sigh of relief, the vapor rising into the chilly air. If anyone, particularly one of the other regulars, had seen him on the ground, straddled by the blonde, he would have a lot of explaining to do. Although his current sexual preference and choice of partner would likely be accepted with relative ease, the tensai knew he would be tortured mercilessly about being on the bottom, even though it was only because Jirou tackled him.

Delirious from his starvation and lost in his thoughts, Marui trailed behind the Hyotei player down the illuminated city street. Nobody, save Jirou, had ever seen him in his pathetic sugar-deprived state. The short walk to the blonde's house was draining the redhead of his very last drop of energy, and the image of Niou assaulting him with uke comments only further wounded his battered ego. Although Marui tried to ignore the prankster's jibes, his constant "Bun-chan! Bun-chan!" was starting to drive the tensai ballistic. Finally, he could take it no longer.

"I'M NOT!!!" he screamed, bolting upright.

"Bun-chan?" Jirou asked curiously, "Are you okay?"

The redhead blinked as his eyes adjusted to the bright light. The sudden movement made his head pound, so he lay back down. He felt like he had played fifty consecutive tennis matches. He had no idea where he was, but it was warm and soft against his bare chest (someone had removed his wet clothing). Looking down, he saw familiar blue striped sheets. Kneeling at the bedside, wearing pajamas and a worried expression, was Jirou. Marui's empty stomach fell as he began to comprehend the situation. "Oh, fuck. I fainted, didn't I?" he asked the blonde, although he already knew the answer.

Jirou nodded. "Yeah, a block from the house. I had to carry you. You're heavier than you look," he said, smiling despite the Rikkai regular's obvious humiliation.

His face glowing as brightly as his hair, Marui hissed, "Nobody saw you carrying me, right?"

Jirou shook his head, his unruly blond curls dancing. "Not that I know of. My parents are at a Christmas party and won't be back until tomorrow and I'm pretty sure the neighbors don't care," he replied hurriedly. He paused to nibble his lip then continued, "Although it's not so bad getting carried, y'know. I mean, look at me! I fall asleep all the time, so Kabaji's always carrying me around. It's easier to pick me up than it is to wake me up sometimes!"

Uncomfortable, Marui twisted the sheets in his hands as he absorbed the blonde's words. "You're the narcoleptic, though. It's cute when people carry you around. Tensai's don't pass out in public."

The Hyotei regular giggled, slipping back into his fanboy-ish ways. "For a tensai, you can sure be dense sometimes. But you're still my favorite. When you're running on a full stomach on the courts, you're incredible!" He paused to do a spirited imitation of the redhead's net tricks. Calming down a bit, Jirou looked him in the eye and added, "And even when I have to carry your half-dead body a block, you're still my favorite tensai, Bun-chan, because I also know how nice you can be too." Jirou reached over and squeezed the redhead's hand before rising. "But now I want to see the happy Bun-chan! I'll be right back." Winking, he rose and disappeared into the kitchen. As he watched the blonde's retreating form, Marui felt an unusually intense surge of appreciation for the boy. For fifteen long, lonely minutes, he waited for his boyfriend and biggest fan to return.

Finally, the blonde reappeared at his side carrying two identical plates of huge, pink iced slabs of cake. With an indistinct grunt of thanks, the starving tensai lunged, grabbed his plate, and shoveled the entire piece into his mouth. Jirou laughed as he watched the other boy choke slightly on the massive hunk of cake. Within seconds, though, the Rikkai regular had managed to swallow the whole thing. "Sugee," Jirou murmured as he handed the boy a napkin.

Feeling some of his energy returning, Marui burped and wiped his mouth. He looked at the blonde and grinned. "Took you long enough."

Jirou sniggered and took a bite from his slice. "You're welcome, Bun-chan!"

Suddenly, the tensai noticed something unusual. "Jirou, you have more icing on your face than I do and you've only eaten one bite. 'The hell did you do down there?"

The Hyotei regular paused, his fork dangling precariously out the corner of his mouth. He blushed as he realized that he had forgotten to wipe his face. "I…er…I fell asleep…in the cake…but then I woke up because I had to get your slice."

Marui grabbed the nearest pillow and smacked Jirou across the side of his head. The fork flew out of the blonde's mouth and clattered to the floor. "You narcoleptic idiot!" the tensai snarled, although there was noticeable amusement in his voice.

Wiping the trail of saliva off the side of his chin, Jirou replied, "But I'm your narcoleptic idiot!"

The expression on the Hyotei player's face as he said that was so sweet that Marui could not control himself. With a feral growl, he grabbed the other's wrist and pulled him onto the bed. Jirou yelped as he found himself pinned to the covers in a manner similar to how he had Marui pinned earlier that afternoon. Looking up at his favorite tensai, he squeaked, "I'm sorry…"

The tensai leaned over and licked a small blob of icing off the blonde's cheek, "You dork..." he whispered affectionately, lapping the rest of the icing off the boy's face in a doglike fashion.

Jirou giggled and squirmed, but Marui's dominating position kept him from escaping. Having eaten all the remaining icing, the redhead continued south, gently nibbling the ticklish regular's neck. Panting, Jirou found his voice and said innocently, "If you're still hungry, I could get you more cake, Bun-chan."

Marui paused, intrigued by the offer, but when his eyes fell upon the blonde's flushed countenance, he knew which type of sugar he preferred. "Nah, I'm good," he replied, eagerly capturing the other's lips with his own. Jirou immediately melted into the kiss like cotton candy. Not satisfied with only a small taste, the tensai gently bit Jirou's lip, causing him to whimper faintly. His mouth parted, allowing Marui to deepen the kiss and take in every bit of his biggest fan's alluring sweetness. Jirou's talented hands tangled in the Rikkai player's shaggy red hair, pulling him closer. As he continued to ravage the blonde's mouth, Marui vaguely wondered if he had died and gone to Candyland.

Before he had savored close to enough, however, Jirou pulled back. "What was that for?" the redhead asked sullenly, pouting like a child who had just been denied dessert.

Brown eyes flashing, Jirou answered, "Cinnamon."

Marui cocked his head to the side, confused. "Cinnamon?"

The blonde nodded and clarified, "You taste like cinnamon."

Marui poked the other boy's nose. "Come on, I know I had snickerdoodles earlier, but there's no way you could possibly taste them after all the cake I had."

Shaking his head, Jirou replied, "No, you don't really taste like cinnamon, but at the same time, you do."

The redhead put a finger to the Hyotei player's lips to silence him. "You're weird," he said simply.

"No, no, no! It's because you're spicy, but at the same time you're really sweet, Bun-chan!" Jirou bubbled. "And it fits with your hair!" he added, running his fingers through the unruly red strands.

Marui sighed. For a kid who spent ninety percent of his time in dreamland, Jirou was remarkably perceptive in his own quirky way. Secretly, the Rikkai regular knew what Jirou said was true, but he simply ruffled the other boy's hair and repeated, "You're weird." He did not need to tell Jirou he understood; the blonde already knew. Marui had always assumed it was because of his fanboy-ish obsession, but he wondered if perhaps the narcoleptic boy was just that smart to begin with. Although he was still the tensai, Marui had to admit that he respected the boy beneath him, and with his kiss-bruised lips, disheveled blonde curls, and rosy skin, Jirou made an image that the redhead could not resist. Giving in to his more primal needs, he bent to kiss the boy again.

As their flavors mingled, Marui decided that, if he was cinnamon, then Jirou had to be sugar: simple, but with amazing hidden powers. Plus, nothing else could explain the redhead's addiction to his favorite fan's unique sweetness, which tasted miles better than anything a girl at school could bake anyway.