Character Pairings: Hiruma/Mamori
Genre: Romance/Drama/Humor
Rating: T - MA+
Warnings: Profanity; Bad Humor
Disclaimers: I don't own anything Eyeshield 21

Recommendation(s):
Page Width: Keep story's width at "3/4"; adjustment settings are at the top-right corner of the site, where the different font styles and sizes are located. "3/4" is the original width that this story was written in.

Light/Dark: This chapter is best read on the light background setting.


For HelloSugah:
The Prompt:
"Heartbreaker" by Lou Bonnevie
The Kink: Mamori or her girl-friends try to talk her out of her attraction for Hiruma.
The Rating: Any; some humor (like wild accusations about Hiruma's notorious deeds, true or wild rumors :P


"Mamori . . . no. Oh, no, Mamori!"

"You . . . you can't possibly! No, Mamori, think about what you're saying!"

She bit her lip, glancing away from the anxious and horrified expressions of Ako and Sara, her gaze absently taking in the surroundings. It was a nice day out out in the school's picnic area, the air cool and breezes soft and skies lightly overcast. The trees towering over their table shameless flaunted their beautiful autumn colors. Occasionally, a few of the heat-toned foliage would float down and land on the table and around their neglected lunches.

"He's . . . he's crazy, Mamori!" Ako hissed, leaning in closer, her eyes wide behind her round spectacles. "He's mean and cruel and selfish, not to mention strange looking! How can you even think of liking someone like that?"

"And what about all the rumors, Mamo-nee?" Sara squeaked, scooting closer and trying to peer into her eyes, her own wide and confused. "I hear he truly is a slave owner, having eight people brainwashed and completely under his control! I hear that he uses the women anyway he pleases and beats the men on a daily basis and then locks them all up in this hidden dungeon every night!"

"Oh, that's ridiculous!" She gawked at her friend, wondering how she could ever believe such a rumor. Really now, Hiruma's 'control' over others only went as far as the amount and extremity of the blackmail he dug up. Which would probably explain why she never truly felt controlled by him, photos of her in a cheerleading outfit or not.

"That is ridiculous!" Ako declared.

She felt herself smiling in appreciation.

"I mean, geez, Sara," she continued. "Everybody knows he's a smuggler for the black market!"

She groaned and dropped her head. So much for that . . .

"I hear he's even known to kill off any serious competition!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, I hear he's a ringleader in a drug gang!"

"What? That's stupid! When have you ever seen him doing drugs? I don't think I've ever seen him smoke cigarette!"

"Um, like, hello? You don't have to sample the merchandise to be a drug dealer, Ako!"

Sighing softly, she turned gaze away again and rested her chin in her hand, tuning her friends out as they settled into an argument of which rumor was likely true.

A soft breeze encircled her, playfully teasing her newly styled hair, her uneven bangs tickling her nose and cheek. She watched the other first and second-year students sitting around the schoolyard, laughing and chatting and just overall having a wonderful time as they enjoyed their small break of free time.

But she just couldn't share in the carefree atmosphere. In fact, she felt lonely and even a bit depressed. Confessing to her friends that she might actually be harboring soft feelings for Deimon High's frightening electric-blond extortionist had not been a mistake. She felt lighter because of it, actually. She just wished they had been a bit more supporting rather than immediately rejecting the admission by bringing up such outrageous and untrue rumors.

'You used to believe some of those rumors . . .'

She felt a knot of guilt sit like a stone in her belly. It was true . . .

But it was so much different now. She was able to see him for who he actually was: a passionate and optimistic man with willpower as strong as steel, a genius mind that was always ten steps ahead and various skills and talents that made him more dangerous and frightening than his temper and the blackmail he could whip out on you in a heartbeat.

And she was crushing on him.

She was crushing on Deimon High's gum-chewing, gun-toting, vulgarity-spitting quarterback, and mercy help her, she was crushing hard.

But that hadn't been what made her need to confess into such a dire situation. After all, she didn't want biased people telling her to just leave him alone because they believed the rumors, and she didn't want biased people like Suzuna encouraging her to pursue him because they believed they were a match since the very beginning.

She wanted someone to give the pros and cons of her predicament and to give advice on how to work with it.

She wanted someone to argue or confirm her own questions: She should tell him? How would he even react to such a thing? Would he reject her, mock her, ignore her? Would it be mutual? Could he possibly hold some sort of feelings for her, too? Was there a way to tell if he does? What would they do then if he did? Date? Become official? Would he want to go public? Just how happy would she be with him in the long-run?

Because she needed order and discipline in her life, and he . . . well, he was such a wildcard – untamable . . .

"Oi, fucking manager!"

She blinked, startled, and looked around, her heart immediately upping its tempo at the familiar nickname and the slightly rasped voice that had shouted it.

She spotted him on the opposite end of the schoolyard, near the steps that lead back into the building. Even from her distance, she could see the irritated frown on his sharp, handsome features, his stance lazy and cool with one hand tucked into his pants' pocket and the other holding his book bag tossed over his shoulder.

Her friends gasped and stopped their chattering, as did everyone else. A tense, wary silence had fallen like a bomb over the schoolyard, but she paid it no mind.

"Coming, Hiruma-kun!" she called back, her smile genuine and bright. Getting up and grabbing her things into her arms, she quickly excused herself from her friends and began jogging after him as he turned and started walking ahead.

She was sure her smile was betraying all her secrets to him and everyone who saw, but she just couldn't help it.

Especially when there was hope blooming in her chest that he might actually have similar feelings for her . . . being that she never could figure out why he insisted on walking her to the clubhouse.

He always had to go out of his way to come from the other end of the school just to do it.