Title: First Impressions (Part)
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Yagyuu, Niou - None
Word Count: 867
Warning(s): None
Summary: Yagyuu, Niou, and how their doubles partnership came to be.
A/N: Leaving for two weeks. Here's part of a WIP to tide you over. And blah blah, Yagyuu and golf. Creative license.
The first time they see each other is at a beach. They ignore each other as perfect strangers generally do. Yagyuu sits on his towel and reads his mystery novel while Niou plays in the water with his sister. Neither pays any attention to the other, believing they will never meet again. They are ten.
The second time they run into each other is the first day of middle school. They follow the wave of students to the classroom, Yagyuu trying not to run into anyone while Niou purposely does. They end up in the same class on opposite sides of the room. Neither remembers the other nor do they care to.
When they have to introduce themselves, Niou refuses. Yagyuu just states he has a sister and enjoys reading before sitting back down. By the end of first period, Niou has made half a dozen friends though he doesn't consider them such. Yagyuu sits alone.
They both end up joining the tennis club. Nobody takes notice as all eyes are focused on a group of three freshmen destroying all the upper classmen in their path. Niou and Yagyuu go to practice as normal, picking up tennis balls and practicing their swings with the rest, but always keeping their eyes out for a chance to join in the Regulars.
It isn't until after summer when the two finally interact.
Yagyuu is reading yet another book on the bus home. There are only a few other people on, one of them Niou. He snickers when the bus jerks to a halt and the book goes flying out of Yagyuu's loose grip. It lands at Niou's feet. He picks it up and starts flipping through it for no reason other than to see what the other boy would do, hoping for some fun.
He's disappointed. Yagyuu lets him keep it until the bus reaches his stop. He stands up and walks over to Niou, politely asking for the book back. Niou doesn't hand it over. Yagyuu just turns and leaves before the bus takes off with him still on it.
A week later, Niou gives the book back before class. No words are exchanged; the book is dropped with a thump and Niou slinks to his seat right as the teacher enters. Yagyuu puts the book away.
That afternoon as he finishes the mystery book in his room, he notices a note written in the back cover. You call this a mystery? It was obvious.
Rikkai wins the Nationals. The third years retire. Yukimura formally takes over the tennis club though no one doubted who ran it before. The remaining club members jostle for the open Regulars spots. Practice is filled with club members challenging each other, trying to gain attention from the newly instated captain and vice-captain. Niou and Yagyuu are among the bunch, trying to reach for the top and ignoring all else.
Miraculously, they are both chosen to be part of the new Regulars. Their first drill: finding a good Doubles pair. Rikkai has many talented Singles players, but they can only be kept if they have some aptitude for Doubles as well. For three weeks, the Regulars would be paired off with someone each week and required to stay together inside and outside school. The first week, Niou paired off with Kirihara while Yagyuu paired off with Yukimura.
The Niou-Kirihara pair doesn't last four days. Kirihara comes screaming into the clubroom on Thursday, yelling of Boogeymen and how they are going to take him away to be made into lima beans. Yukimura spends the next hour trying to calm him down. Niou relaxes on a bench, smirking every time Kirihara glances his way, undoing Yukimura's progress.
Niou is not allowed to be alone near Kirihara again. Instead, Yukimura accompanies Niou for the rest of the week with Yagyuu keeping Kirihara out of the way. Niou promises himself to never let Kirihara go running to Yukimura again; the guy is scary when all smiley and mad. Yagyuu just hopes the rest of the month would not be as headache inducing.
Yagyuu's hopes are crushed when the pairs for the second week are called out. Niou begins to plot in glee.
After practice, Niou strolls over to Yagyuu and drawls, "So. Am I coming to your place or are you coming to mine? After all," he leers, "we've got to spend all our time together."
Yagyuu ignores the question until he finishes buttoning up his shirt. "We may go to my house if that is no problem for you," he answers. Without waiting for confirmation, he leaves and beings the walk to the bus stop.
"You got any hot older sisters?" Niou asks, catching up with Yagyuu.
He answers with a look. Do you really expect me to answer that?
Of course. Niou smirks in return. Yagyuu rolling his eyes is almost completely hidden, but Niou catches the barest glimpse of it and his smirk widens.
"No, I don't have any older sisters."
"Shame, that." The bus pulls up and they hop on. The bus engine is the only thing to break the silence. They both look out the windows, sneaking glances when the other isn't looking.