Characters: Hyotei~
Pairings: AtoJirou, miscellaneous other pairings implied
Universe: Anime; later into the fic, it'll be a year before the anime's start (Atobe's a second year, Hiyoshi's a freshie)
Warnings: Fluff, angsting in later chapters
[---Prologue---]
"Never been better," Atobe says. He groans into his pillow when lights start flashing and assaulting his vision again, and his eyes flutter close.
Jirou pouts. "Aw, c'mon, 'tobe. You have around four of these each day during tournament period, so why not one now?" he pleads, shoving the pill in front of Atobe's face. Atobe immediately buries his face in his pillow like a four-year-old to medicine. Except that this person Jirou is dealing with is fourteen. "...It's strawberry flavored."
Atobe almost laughs but opts to chuck a pillow at Jirou's face instead. "Ore-sama isn't an idiot."
"Hey, your lips twitched."
Atobe tries to retrieve his pillow to bury his face in it again, but Jirou catches it in his hands. They lock gazes and Atobe refuses to say anything.
"Come on, admit it."
Atobe rolls his eyes. "Admit my undying love for you?"
Jirou can feel his voice seize up in his throat. He manages a shaky smile. "M-maybe?"
Atobe moans. "Fine, fine. I laughed. Just... I can't swallow pills." Jirou's lips quirk, and Atobe grimaces. "No, no no no, don't la—"
Jirou bursts out laughing, rolling on the bed and clutching his stomach. Atobe pouts. "I said don't laugh."
After several humiliating minutes of Atobe waiting for Jirou to finally get tired of rolling on his bed, Jirou's laughter finally dies down into snickers and giggles. "S-sorry, sorry, just..." Suddenly, Jirou starts laughing again.
Atobe crosses his arms and pouts; a very un-Atobe-like gesture, but Jirou finds that it looks kinda... cute, for lack of a better word. "Is it really that funny?"
"Bwahaha, haha, ha, okay, okay, never mind, hahaha..." Jirou waves his hand dismissively with a shake of his head, and Atobe doesn't notice his friend's hand slipping a pill into his Earl Grey.
"Hmph."
Atobe picks up his teacup and Jirou's face immediately breaks into a grin.
The rim of the cup nears Atobe's lips, and Jirou follows every millimeter movement with his eyes. Warmer, warmer—
"Hmph. You're smiling suspiciously," Atobe says (with that infuriating smirk on his lips), and he sets the cup down on the coaster on his bedside. Jirou wails. So much for his plan.
"Just," Jirou throws his hands up in the air in exasperation, "just drink the damned tea and get it over with."
Atobe lets out another 'hmph', but he complies anyway. "...You will not owe me this cup of Earl Grey as ore-sama feels generous today."
Jirou manages to catch the cup as Atobe's hands weaken.
"...This isn't aspirin."
The darkness flashes under his eyelids, and his vision is fading. In, out. In, out. His head feels like dead weight, and it falls back into his pillow. The goose down in the pillow flattens, and as Atobe looks up to Jirou one last time, Jirou sends him an apologetic smile.
The last thing Atobe sees on that first day is those pair of eyes looking at him, and all the guilt and sadness...
His eyelids feels heavy, and Atobe wills them to close.
[- - - - - - -]
"Because I've been blind from the start."
Words: 541
A/N: This is angst~ My specialty~ Next chapters to be longer, I'm telling you.
Let me know what you think! And yes, lampshading is amazing 8DD. This fanfic will be very confusing, let me warn you.
For those of you who read until here, you will know that this fanfic will involve time travel, because it will, and because you actually read until the last line. Thanks~
