Title: Of Tricksters And Gentlemen
Author: xChemicalRomanticx
Summary: Niou is Yagyuu and Yagyuu is Niou but they are not one. Not yet. There is always going to be teenage awkwardness and problems a plenty.
Warnings: Shonen-ai, a couple of swear words.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
This is something that had been brewing in my mind during those three days I had to spend pretending to listen to my cousin rambling on about something. Enjoy!
Yagyuu comes from a polite, straight lace family. He works hard to please his parents and grandfather, sitting down for meals with them and obeying what they tell him even if he doesn't always agree with them, simply because that is what he has grown up to be like.
Displays of affection are rare, there will occasionally be pats on the back from his grandfather or his father will shake his hand but other than that there is always a comfortable distance between them.
It feels strange, therefore, to have someone hanging all over him during practice (and even after practice if he has the 'pleasure' of accompanying Niou home) but he soon comes to realise that this is simply Niou's way and for the most part is easily ignored.
He should be grateful when Niou wanders off to bother someone else for a while, it is hard to get someone to take him seriously when Niou is lurking somewhere in the background, but for some reason he can't stop the strange feeling he gets in his stomach when he sees Niou ruffling Kirihara's hair or teasing Marui.
--
Niou's family is the complete opposite; it is always loud and friendly in the Niou household, there is always some kind of activity going on or some argument between his brother and sister that will quickly be forgotten as soon as they turn away.
Living with an older sister is quite hard for Niou, not only does he have to literally fight to get to the phone but he has to listen to her high pitched giggling as her and her friends dissect the enigmas that are the opposite sex.
If there is one thing that is drilled into him from this experience it is that girls like boys and boys like girls. That is how things are supposed to work.
Still, this doesn't stop the tingling feeling down his spine he gets whenever Yagyuu looks at him or whenever he touches his doubles partner.
He tells himself that he is completely normal, that there is nothing to worry about, but he can't help but notice that staring contests with Kirihara and those times Jackal pats him on the back in congratulations at winning a game do not produce the same effect.
--
Contrary to popular belief Niou is actually good at his studies, he even reviews his notes before every class, and while he occasionally gets reprimanded for a prank the teachers generally think of him as a pleasure to teach.
Niou is also a genius at maths, he is quite easily able to tell Yagyuu how many litres of water it would take to ensure proper coverage of the music room or the probability that they will be caught, even going so far as to factor in the time of day and who happens to be on duty at that particular time.
In school Yagyuu is an example of a model student, he's a part of the public morals committee along with Sanada and spends a lot of his time in the student council room. He is generally well respected, even by the teachers, and while he might be the perfect target for bullies he is left alone.
What people do not know is that Yagyuu's grades are not something that comes naturally and are actually the result of sitting down with, an albeit reluctant, Niou while his doubles partner points out all of the bits that Yagyuu missed while his mind was too preoccupied with fundraising and student council affairs.
--
Niou has gotten into a habit of leaving his bedroom window unlocked and open just a crack, barely noticeable from the outside, and leaving the light on for as long as possible while he sprawls on his bed with the latest manga.
He no longer jumps when there comes a scrabbling at the window and it creaks open as a figure slips into his room.
Instead he merely shuffles over on the bed or else holds out a game controller, knowing that Yagyuu only uses this method when he wants to escape the pressures of his house and read manga or play video games like an ordinary teenager.
--
Neither of them are completely sure where the idea to dress up and parade around as each other came from, though Yagyuu maintains a firm belief that it was Niou's idea and probably came from one of those weird mangas he always finds in Niou's bag.
All Yagyuu knows is that one day he ended up in Niou's room with his chin held in a vice like grip, trying not to go cross eyed as Niou leans in closer with a look of utter concentration as he brandishes an eyebrow pencil to fill in the beauty mark.
Niou doesn't like to think of himself as a narcissist, he's not like Hyotei's Atobe who carries a mirror around with him everywhere, but when Yagyuu-as-Niou turns around, giving a most uncharacteristic smirk and says something in Niou's low, husky voice he can only think one thing.
'Damn, I'm fucking sexy.'
--
The first few times they attempted a switch at practice things go disastrously, Niou forgets to speak in a polite manner and reverts to his usual crude demeanour while Yagyuu has trouble getting used to wearing contacts instead of glasses and ends up missing some of the easier balls that come their way.
After a while though things start to smooth out until one day Kirihara spends almost half of practice standing next to Yagyuu and bitching to him about the latest prank Niou had pulled on him and how he's going to crush him one day.
It takes him longer than usual to notice the smirk on Yagyuu's face and it is only when he receives a punch in the shoulder that has his whole arm tingling does he realise that the real Yagyuu has been standing on the other side of the court talking to Yanagi the whole time.
--
As one of the top doubles pairings within the elite, unbeatable Rikkaidai they like to think of themselves as close knit, like those doubles pairings they see playing in the tournaments on television and who know instinctively what the other person wants without even having to communicate with each other.
It is an unspoken agreement between them then that, since they are going to be playing in those kinds of tournaments one day, they should try it out sometime and so, after a practice match with Marui and Jackal, they flop down together on either side of the bench.
It was only when Yagyuu's towel ends up in a crumpled, dusty heap on the floor and Niou is left nursing a rather nasty bruise on his forehead from being smacked in the face by an unexpected water bottle do they grudgingly accept that maybe words are still the best way forwards for them.
--
Like most people who spend a long time in each other's company there are bound to be times when they argued, even over something as insignificant as someone missing a step in the latest formation, and as is their style they do so dramatically.
During these times the tension within the team skyrockets until every member of the tennis club feels like they are tripping on eggshells beside an unexploded bomb.
There are so many snide remarks, so much talking through other people rather than to each other directly, that Sanada feels like yelling and slapping some sense into the both of them.
Yukimura merely smiles passively and tells him to not to interfere with the two of them and instead to go and rescue Kirihara and Marui, who seem to bear the brunt of Niou's frustration, while he goes to distract Yanagi from taking down any more notes.
By the time practice ends, a time when all of the non regulars give a collective sigh of relief at being able to escape, the two seem to instinctively meet in the middle of the court.
Here they glare at each other for a few moments before Niou punches Yagyuu in the arm and Yagyuu kicks Niou in the ankle.
"Bastard."
"Idiot."
And peace is once again restored.
--
Niou is a trickster, that is an undisputed fact. Niou is also senselessly brave, or else completely stupid.
Those are part of the reasons why Yagyuu-as-Niou is suddenly confronted by a group of larger students one day before practice, cracking their knuckles and demanding to know whether he thought his latest prank was funny.
Yagyuu is not a trickster, nor is he brave to the point of foolishness, but he is a gentleman and as such is loyal to his doubles partner. Thus this is why he replies in a low baritone that yes, whatever he did it must have indeed been hilarious for them to want to find him enough to congratulate him.
Kirihara stumbles across him about 10 minutes later, eyes wide as he takes in the battered and bruised appearance of his team mate as he leans against the side of the school and looks as though he can barely take another step.
He knows that this is not Niou because Niou is at practice as usual and besides, the wig has slipped a little and so, after patting him awkwardly on the shoulder and having him wince, the second year ace turns on his heel and runs off.
"Wait here Yagyuu-senpai, I'll go and get help."
Yagyuu does as he is told, willing his strength to keep him standing as he watches Kirihara come running back a few minutes later, dragging Yukimura along by the wrist with Sanada hot on their heels.
Yukimura is tender as he examines him, prodding gently to make sure that there are no broken bones, before nodding in satisfaction and informing them that there is nothing critical and that Yagyuu just needs cleaning up.
Yagyuu refuses to go to the nurse and so Sanada has to support him as they make their way back to the clubroom where the medical kit is, Yukimura walking in front to chase away any curious students still milling about while Kirihara trails behind, eyes still wide and chewing on his lower lip.
--
Niou spots the small procession just as they are about to enter the clubhouse, instantly recognizing the bleached white hair of the person being supported. Immediately he drops his racket, which clatters to the court, and abandons his game with a non regular in favour of sprinting over to them.
Sanada doesn't say anything, doesn't tell him that abandoning a game in the middle is unacceptable, when Niou takes hold of Yagyuu's other arm to help him sit down on a bench and nor does he say anything when Niou snatches the medical kit from Kirihara's arms and promptly gets on his knees in front of his doubles partner.
Yukimura seems pleased with this for some reason and ushers Kirihara and Sanada out, his grip tight on the former who is still looking between Niou and Yagyuu in confusion. However, once asked whether he would be willing to help out in restoring the disrupted practice back to order the second year perks up almost at once and practically skips out of the door, leaving the two of them alone.
--
"What the hell did you do?" Is the first thing that escapes Niou's mouth once the door shuts with a click, swiping a swab dipped in rubbing alcohol none too gently across a graze on Yagyuu's cheek.
Yagyuu winces at the sting of the alcohol but otherwise doesn't make a move to say anything; especially since Niou, who is not known to be the most careful of people at the best of times, is still waving the swab dangerously close to his eye. He already wears glasses, he doesn't want to be completely blinded.
It is only when Niou discards the swab in order to get another one does Yagyuu trust himself not to get his eye poked out and finally speaks.
"I think the question is what the hell did you do?" Yagyuu's voice is thick from his bloody nose but somehow he still manages to get his point across.
"Me?" Niou had the nerve to look surprised, eyebrows raised and forehead creased in confusion.
"Yes, you," Yagyuu attempted to look disapproving but the outcome, if anything, was more of a pained grimace, "I ran into a couple of people after you, wanting to thank you for what you did to their locker room."
Apprehension dawns on Niou's face for a moment before it is quickly wiped away and replaced with an oh-so-familiar smirk.
"Yaaaagyuu, did you get this protecting me?" Niou's tone is far more amused than should legally be allowed and Yagyuu lets out a huff and turns away, sticking his nose in the air.
"I don't see why, especially since you're stupid enough to deserve what you get."
Niou suddenly grabs onto the front of his shirt and Yagyuu's eyes close in anticipation for the pain that will come when Niou decides to hit him.
As it were he does let out a yelp of pain but it is not from a punch but rather from Niou slamming his lips against Yagyuu's own, his grip tight in his hair.
When he pulls away there is Yagyuu's blood around his mouth and Yagyuu can only watch with morbid fascination as Niou slowly wipes a bit off before licking it off his finger with deliberate slowness.
"You're fucking sick," Yagyuu finally manages to grumble. Niou's features split into a wide grin, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"I know."
--
Something changes that day, something that has been brewing between the two of them ever since they decided to become doubles partners but neither boy seems to care.
They are still dysfunctional and awkward, polar opposites in nearly every sense of the word. Yagyuu is like summer, all sun and gentle breezes, while Niou is all dark clouds and biting winds of winter.
They will still fight, there will still be things which they do not agree on, but they will always make up because they know that now they are not living only for themselves.
Comments, concrit and all that nice stuff are loved.