Title: Need Sugar
Characters/Pairing: Marui, Kurobane, Niou / BaneMarui (if you wanna squint and turn your computer upside down)
Word Count: +/- 1184
Rating: G
Marui needed sugar. It was his life force. Without it, he would die, or at least be very, very grumpy and lethargic. He couldn't help it. If something wasn't obnoxiously sweet, he just couldn't eat it, much to his mother's dismay as she would watch her eldest son empty a jar of sugar onto whatever dinner she had cooked up for the family.
It wasn't something that could be satisfied with three meals a day, either, and the pink-haired tensai had a need for constantly eating sweets. For times when he couldn't eat, like in class and tennis practice, he'd just chew gum for a steady, constant intake of sugar.
But that only worked for when he had gum, which, right now, he didn't. It was the first round of the Kantou tournament and he was due to play in an hour, doubles one with Niou or something like that. Right now, he didn't care about where he was playing or when. He just wanted gum and he wanted it now.
It's been an hour since his last sweet snack – a chocolate bar on the way to the courts – and lethargy's starting to kick in. "Not very tensai-like at all," he mumbles beneath his breath, kicking at a stone in his path. He stumbles a little, swearing at himself under his breath, before regaining his composure and continuing to walk in silence. Spots were forming in front of his eyes every time he blinks and every step he takes seems to take longer and longer until, finally, the heat of the Tokyo sun gets to be too much and he feels himself starting fall.
This is it… I'm dying…
"Woah, you okay?" A flash of red passes in front of Marui's half-open, unfocussed eyes and he suddenly stops moving. There's something clutching to his waist and he's not quite sure what to do. Not that he really has the energy to do anything anyway, not even stay conscious anymore. The voice continues to call out to him, even as it fades with his consciousness.
When Marui next opens his eyes, it is to a blurry figure of red crouched down in front of him against a blurry background of green and brown and movement. He's leaning back against something, and it takes a few moments for his weary brain to figure out it's a tree and he's still the tournament, probably across the path from a tennis court if the familiar thwack is anything to go by. What isn't familiar is the face slowly coming into focus in front of him. "Who are…" His voice stops coming, throat too dry to properly speak.
"Hang on," the figure speaks and shifts, obviously digging through a bag. Marui falters a little when something is touched against his lips, but he soon figures it out to be a bottle, which he greedily drink from, desperate to hydrate his mouth again. Once the bottle is pulled away, there is a moment of silence as the volley genius tries to get his head to stop spinning and for his eyes to focus. Once they do, he finally takes in the boy in front of him.
"Feeling better?" It's a dark-haired boy, perhaps a senior, judging from his size, and definitely another tennis player if his bright red Rokkaku uniform is anything to go by. Marui nods slowly but says nothing, head still spinning a little. "You're Marui, aren't you? From Rikkai?"
"I am," he replies after a moment, voice still a little weak – sugar sugar need sugar - but he manages a smirk at being recognized. "And who are you…?"
"Kurobane Harukaze," Kurobane gives a grin, not seeming at all worried that he hasn't been recognized, and he rocks back to sit down, folding his legs in front of him. "From Rokkaku."
Marui just nods, in understanding, and leans his head back against the tree trunk. He closes his eyes, still feeling too damn weak to do anything at all, not too mention a little embarrassed that a tensai like him is looking so pathetic in front of anyone at all. Kurobane doesn't move, just sitting beside him and watching him with a worried look.
Another long silence sets in, until a tapping on his leg prompts Marui to open his eyes. There, right in front of him, is a floating chocolate bar. Without thinking twice or questioning its origins, he grabs the treat and quickly devours it with a satisfied, "Mmmmm." He's brought back to reality by a soft chuckling and he throws a frown Kurobane's way.
"Sorry, sorry," the larger boy apologizes before he slowly stands. "You gonna be alright now?" He offers a hand down and Marui takes it cautiously, letting himself be pulled up to his feet. "I better get going to my match. Good luck with yours, alright? Hope to see Rikkai in the finals."
Marui simply nods and farewells him, before glancing down to fix his uniform. As he does so, a plastic bag comes into view and he reaches down to pick it up. Opening it to discover an arrange of sweets and gum, he quickly looks up again, but Kurobane is nowhere to be seen.
"Why are we here, fatty?"
"To see who our next opponent will be, Niou."
The semi-finals are underway, and a pair of yellow uniforms stand out against the rest of the cheer squad of red surrounding the fence of one court. A couple of kids glance at the pair now and then, a little concerned about their presence, but the seniors either don't notice or don't care and focus instead on the tennis match at hand.
It's a doubles match; a serious display of power and will on both sides and even Niou gives a low whistle of appreciation – he'd seen through the Seigaku pair's ploy from the start, of course, but it was still a good maneuver. It finally ends in Seigaku's favour, but it is still a close match and Marui and Niou both exchange glances with a nod.
The volley genius glances back out to the court and spots a pair of dark eyes watching him from the bench. A smile is sent his way and he can't help but smile back, watching as the Rokkaku senior walks towards him.
"Marui, you're looking better," Kurobane comments with a laugh in his voice, seemingly choosing to not take any notice of the pink-hair's companion. "Finished your matches already?"
"A genius like me belongs in singles one," Marui brags with a smirk. "Thanks for the sweets."
"Sweets, what sweets?" A knowing smile betrays Kurobane's feigned innocence and gives a slight nod in what could only be an acknowledgement of the thanks.
Niou, standing just behind his teammate, just looks between the two and rolls his eyes as he steps away. He starts to head back to the court his own team is playing on, smirking just a little. As fun as it was to defy Sanada and wind him up, even he didn't want to be caught fraternizing with the enemy, let alone flirting.
"Puri."