Notes: Another Jiroh fic, but this time it's KiriharaxJiroh. A bit less serious that the first one, but hopefully it'll be more entertaining. Please feel free to let me know what you think!
Jiroh really should've woken up when Atobe told him to. He'd been warned to be more alert during practice, that anything could happen if he simply dozed all through the club meeting. But he wouldn't listen.
Ootori's Scud serve looked awfully painful slamming into Jiroh's shoulder, effectively waking the boy up. It was completely unintentional, but these things happen when certain players are asleep when everyone else is clearing out of the way.
Jiroh blinked up at the sky. He was laying on his back on the court, and suddenly became aware that his left shoulder was throbbing. He tried to sit up, but fell back to the ground when a jolt of pain shot up and down his arm. Something was definitely wrong here.
The rest of his teammates gathered around him and stared. "Are you all right?" Ootori asked, looking apologetic.
"I think something's wrong with my shoulder," Jiroh told him, bringing his right hand to the aforementioned spot and rubbing it gently.
"Yeah, you took a hit from Ootori's Scud serve," Shishido said, looking half way amused and half way concerned.
Atobe was frowning. "I told you to wake up."
"When?" Jiroh asked.
"Just now."
"But I was asleep."
"Exactly."
Jiroh blinked again. "Oh."
"Can you move your arm?" Oshitori asked.
"I can, but it hurts."
Atobe looked over his shoulder. "Kabaji, take Jiroh to see the nurse."
"Ousu," the large player said, stepping forward and bending down. Jiroh looked up at Atobe incredulously. Kabaji picked Jiroh up easily and headed toward the school building. Jiroh's protests could be heard all over the school grounds.
In the nurse's office, Kabaji dropped the yelling, humiliated Jiroh onto a nearby bed. "Did you have to carry me all through the school?! Everyone was laughing!"
Kabaji wordlessly turned and left. Jiroh yelled something unpleasant at him, but seemed to have no effect. He slumped back in the bed, then winced as his shoulder hurt again. The nurse walked over soon and examined his shoulder. She turned it, moved it, and pressed against it with her fingertips, all of which was unnecessarily painful. "I think it may be dislocated," she told him, "You need to go to the hospital and get it properly examined."
Jiroh frowned. "The hospital? Today?"
She nodded. "You need to get it x-rayed as soon as possible. I'll call your parents."
Jiroh leaned back miserably. He couldn't even cross his arms to show his discontentment. He hated the hospital. All that whiteness and sanitized-ness and those horrid paper gowns. But it couldn't be helped, he supposed, and he allowed himself to relax long enough to fall asleep again.
The next time he woke up, he was in a different bed. The ceiling was white. He looked around. The walls were white. The sheets were white. He groaned, realizing that he was already at the hospital. He sat up, careful of using his left arm.
A woman in a white outfit walked in. "Hello, Akutagawa-kun! How are you feeling?"
Jiroh scratched his head. "Um… confused? Why am I in a hospital room? I thought I was coming for an x-ray."
She smiled a little too brightly for his comfort. "Yes, that's what your parents brought you in for, but we believe your shoulder may be fractured. We thought it best to let you rest here until the x-ray results come in."
"How long will that be?"
"No more than an hour, I suppose."
Jiroh looked down. Oh God, he was wearing a paper gown. "Is this necessary?" he asked, gesturing to it.
"We had to remove your clothes for the x-ray. You can have them back shortly, but please keep the gown on for now. We may need more x-rays, depending on the results of the first."
Jiroh groaned, again. "I don't even remember the x-ray, or the ride here."
"Oh? You were asleep the entire time? How unusual. Your parents brought you, but they had to run an errand. They should be back in a few minutes."
Jiroh nodded and leaned back. The nurse left the room. He looked around the room again, noticing more details, like that curtain that separated his bed from the other bed in the room. Was there someone else in there? He squinted his eyes. It was a pretty thin curtain, and the sunlight pouring through the curtain from the window on the other side allowed for shapes to be distinguished. He decided that someone was definitely lying in the bed. Either that, or there were pillows placed strategically under the sheets to look like a human being, and Jiroh thought that was unlikely.
He stared at the motionless figure, wondering who it was, what was wrong with them, etc. Finally he fell asleep, laying on his side and facing the curtain. He only slept for a few minutes before voices woke him up. His eyes opened slightly, but when he heard what the voices were saying, he closed them back and listened.
"Isn't that adorable? Both of them sleeping like little angels!" a nurse said in a hushed voice.
"Yeah, and both of them injured by tennis balls too!" another nurse said.
"Really? So they're both tennis players as well? How cute!"
Jiroh tried to lay perfectly still. This could turn into quite the embarrassing situation if they knew he were awake. Why was it that adult women loved to call him cute and adorable? Did he look like a teddy bear? Did he have those huge, saucer-like blue eyes that glistened like stars? Was he soft and cuddly? Well, maybe he was soft and cuddly, but to his knowledge, they were not aware of that. Unless something happened while he was asleep.
Soon both women had left and Jiroh was left to his curiosity. The person next to him was a tennis player too? How interesting! Maybe it was someone he knew. And maybe, just maybe, he was pretending to be asleep too. Jiroh carefully slid out of bed, holding that damned paper gown around himself in the back. He crept over to the curtain and peeped around it.
A boy who looked about his age was curled up in the bed, curly jet-black hair covering his head and hanging slightly in his closed eyes. White sheets were bundled up all over him. "Hey," Jiroh whispered, "are you awake?"
The boy's eyes shot open, startling Jiroh for a moment. He raised up, propping himself on his elbow. "I am now. What is it?" The voice was not rude or the slightest bit upset. It was purely curious.
"Um… I heard the nurses talking. They said you were a tennis player, like me. I just wanted to see who you were."
The boy sat up and held out his hand to Jiroh. "Kirihara Akaya. And you are?"
Jiroh's eyes widened. The face had been slightly familiar, but the name was easily recognizable. He'd heard a lot about the Rikkai team before Hyoutei was eliminated from the tournament, and they were still possible opponents. He'd never actually met any of the members before, but he'd watched them play. Kirihara had been quite impressive. "You're from Rikkai!" Jiroh exclaimed, pointing at him.
Kirihara blinked, then seemed to recognize Jiroh as well. "And you're from Hyoutei, right? What was your name again?"
Jiroh grinned and took Kirihara's hand. "Akutagawa Jiroh," he answered.
"Nice to meet you, Akutagawa-san."
"Call me Jiroh. Everyone does."
Kirihara nodded. "Okay, Jiroh-san."
"So what happened to you?" Jiroh asked him, "I heard the nurses saying you were injured by a tennis ball."
Kirihara laughed, his face turning a very slight shade of pink. "Actually, I was practicing by myself, against a wall, and I got… er… distracted. There's this really strange obaa-san who likes to take pictures of me and make threats of violence. She appeared out of nowhere behind me with a giant camera and snapped a photo. The flash blinded me for a second and the ball came back and hit me in the head. Knocked me out cold."
Jiroh looked shocked. "Seriously? What a freak accident! Or maybe she intended it?"
"I don't think she actually meant for me to knock myself out with a tennis ball, especially since she was sobbing into her cell phone when I woke up, but that woman definitely has it in for me. Maybe she's waiting for something more elaborate to come up."
Jiroh laughed. "Well, my accident was equally stupid. I was sleeping on the tennis court and one of my teammates unintentionally fractured my shoulder with his Scud serve."
"Ooh, that must've hurt."
"Well yeah, but not until I woke up."
Kirihara looked at him strangely. "Now I remember which one you were! You were always asleep on the bleachers!"
"That's me," Jiroh answered.
"You looked like a teddy bear."
Jiroh stared. "Huh?"
"That's what I always thought. You looked like a big teddy bear just waiting to snuggle up in a bed. You made me feel sleepy just watching you."
Jiroh was turning red. "Yeah, everyone says that."
"And are you soft and cuddly like a teddy bear?" Kirihara asked, aquamarine eyes flashing.
If Jiroh had a large drink of soda in his mouth, it would have spewed all over Kirihara's face. He was suddenly aware of the fact that Kirihara was flirting with him. While they were alone in a room with a bed. While they were both in paper gowns that conveniently exposed their asses. Jiroh was suddenly uncomfortable.
Kirihara put his hand on Jiroh's knee. "You're really cute, you know? I bet all the girls at your school are in love with you."
Jiroh was very slowly edging away from him. "Uh… not really…"
"All the guys then?"
Jiroh realized that Kirihara's hand was moving up his thigh. "Kirihara-san… I'm not sure this is a good time or place to…"
"I think it's the perfect time and place. Unless… you're completely straight?"
"I am!" Jiroh practically yelled. A little voice in his mind said "What about those Fuji fantasies? And what about that time with Atobe in the locker room?" Jiroh frowned. "Well… maybe not completely, but I'm mostly straight!"
"Then you might make an exception? Come on, when will we ever be alone in the same room again? Life is all about living in the moment! Besides, it's not like I'm going to get you pregnant or anything, right?"
Jiroh looked stunned.
"Right?" Kirihara repeated, this time a hint of worry on his face.
"Of course not! I am a boy!"
Kirihara sighed in relief. "Thank God. Don't want to make that mistake ever again. Pretty boys do not necessarily make pretty girls you know."
Jiroh decided not to ask, because he definitely did not want to know. "Well… what if someone walks in?"
"We'll pretend we hate each other and we were wrestling," Kirihara offered.
"Exactly what sort of wrestling would that be?!"
"We'll make something up. No one's going to walk in anyway. Trust me."
Jiroh finally gave in and relaxed, sitting down on the edge of Kirihara's bed. Kirihara smiled, then leaned in for a kiss. Jiroh became tense at the touch of the other boy's lips, but soon discovered that it was a sweet kiss, something he could enjoy. The nurses were right, Kirihara was adorable, and Jiroh couldn't deny that. So every time he asked himself "Why the hell am I doing this?!", he simply looked into those blue-green eyes and found his answer. "Why not?" he asked himself then.
Kirihara stopped suddenly. "Go lock the door."
"Oh, right," Jiroh replied, standing up. He locked the door, then double-checked it. He felt safer now. He returned to Kirihara's bed and was gently pulled down into it. There were many kisses, many caresses, and much ripping of paper. Jiroh hoped to God there were more paper gowns in the cabinet across the room. Otherwise, the two of them would have a lot of explaining to do.
Kirihara was careful with Jiroh's shoulder, planting tender kisses along his arm and then tracing hands down Jiroh's back. "I was right, you are soft and cuddly," he whispered into Jiroh's ear.
The rest of the scene whirled by so fast that Jiroh could barely register what was happening before Kirihara switched to doing something else. All Jiroh could properly think was "This feels good." He forgot about his shoulder, even when a particularly sharp thrust from Kirihara forced him to use his left arm to grip the railing of the hospital bed. It was intoxicating.
Finally both boys collapsed into bed, panting. Jiroh fell asleep instantly, and Kirihara raised up to look at him. He really was cute, and so friendly! Kirihara got out of bed slowly and dug around in his duffle bag. He pulled something out and walked over to Jiroh's pile of clothing. He slipped something into the pocket of Jiroh's shorts, then carried Jiroh back to his own bed. He dug around in the various drawers and cabinets of the room until he found a stack of fresh paper gowns. He put one on himself, then put another on Jiroh. He pulled the other boy's arms through the proper holes and left it open in the back, not bothering to tie the somewhat useless string in the back. Rolling Jiroh over would probably wake him up anyway. He pulled the white sheets up over Jiroh's sleeping form and returned to his own bed.
Jiroh slept peacefully, dreaming happy thoughts and snoring slightly. He was awakened by his parents, who were standing over his bed. "Get dressed, Jiroh. It's time to go home," his mother told him, stroking his cheek with the back of her hand.
"Huh?" he asked sleepily, rubbing his eyes, "The results were okay?"
"Your shoulder was dislocated, and they're giving you a sling to keep you from using that arm. You should be fine in a few weeks!" his father said happily.
Jiroh smiled faintly and nodded. The two of them walked out, and two of his teammates passed them on their way in. It was Shishido and Ootori. "How are you doing?" Ootori asked.
"I'm okay. Actually, it was really interesting. You guys should meet Kirihara-kun, he's in the next bed."
"Kirihara?" Shishido asked, "Of Rikkai?"
"Yeah, he's right over there. He had a tennis injury too!"
Ootori peeked around the curtain, then drew it all the way back. "Jiroh, there's no one here."
Jiroh sat up suddenly. "Yes there is!" he said, but Ootori was right. The next bed was empty, and neatly made. It looked as if no one had ever been there. "Hey… where'd he go?"
Shishido sighed. "You were dreaming again, Jiroh."
"No, I wasn't! We even had sex!"
Ootori and Shishido blinked at him. "You had sex with Kirihara Akaya?" Shishido asked skeptically.
"Yes! It was good too! But anyway, I guess he was sent home already."
His teammates looked at each other, then laughed. "Whatever you say, Jiroh," Ootori said.
"No, I swear I wasn't dreaming!" Jiroh cried.
Shishido crossed his arms. "Right, just like the time you dreamed you were Atobe's sex slave and then followed him around like a puppy for weeks? Or the time you dreamed Kabaji raped you and wouldn't speak to him for two months?"
Ootori was grinning. "Or how about the time you dreamed Fuji Syusuke broke into your house and molested you?"
Jiroh was beet red. "Okay, so those were mistakes! But this time it was real! Even the nurses saw him!"
The two boys shrugged and tossed Jiroh's clothes to him. "Get dressed and lets get out of here," Shishido told him, and the two of them walked out.
Jiroh was left alone to his thoughts, and he tried to remember everything that happened. Was it possible? Had he simply dreamed the whole thing? He stood up and pulled on his clothes. He reached his hands into his pockets to straighten them out, but found something inside. He pulled out his right hand, finding a crumpled piece of paper. There was a phone number scribbled hastily and a tiny note: "It was fun, let's do it again sometime – Kirihara"
And with that, a huge grin spread across Jiroh's face. He'd changed his mind about hospitals. Interesting things could happen there, and maybe paper gowns had their uses after all.
The End.
Notes: Yeah, yeah, it's super unlikely, but I had to do it! Jiroh and Kirihara are my absolute favorite characters, and they're so cute! Hope everyone could stomach the sudden-ness of it all. ^^; Please send questions/comments/suggestions/complaints right on to me! I love them! ^_^