A/N notes: here we go with "Fuji's new customers" ;D …there will be ShinjiKamio, but I will have one more chapter in between first! (the ones who can guess the next couple gets cookies )
Hmm, interesting idea on the Hyotei doubles pair doubl date :D Just when I was writing on a triple date for this chapter…but I won't say anything more about that!
And I am on a schedule here ::sweatdrops:: I've gotta get out the 13th chapter on Christmas Eve!
Thank you wonderful readers and reviewers! Thanks for commenting and for correcting me on my errors, it's very inspiring! ::hugs you all::
Disclaimer: still not mine
Chapter 8: Jackal x Marui
"How long do we have to wait for him?" one of the two boys sighed, blowing his bubblegum again.
"He should be out any minute now! Marui-kun, you're gonna love him! He is awesome!! He helped me hit it off with Atobe, and if he can do that with Atobe then I'm sure he won't have any problems with your guy!" the other one answered, needless to say it was Jiroh.
Marui groaned. "I don't even have boytrouble! I only came all the way here because you gave me cakes."
"But I got the impression you're not dating!" Jiroh said, looking confused and Marui blew another bubble. "Are…are you straight? Because I definitely didn't see that coming!"
"I'm not straight and I'm not dating, but that doesn't mean I have boytrouble!"
/Not boytrouble but not directly a boyfriend either…/ Marui's inner voice told him, which he quickly silenced.
"But then there's no harm in asking him!" Jiroh shot another smile and the classroom door opened, students coming out.
"Huh? I don't see him." Jiroh stopped one of the persons exiting the classroom. "Excuse me sensei, can you tell me where I can find Fuji Syusuke?"
"Students from other schools aren't allowed inside the building!" the reply came and Jiroh put some distance between him and the scary teacher.
"Yeah I know, but I really want to find him!" Jiroh explained.
The teacher narrowed his eyes, and a student showed up behind him.
"Who are you talking to, Tezuka?" Oishi gazed passed him at Jiroh and Marui. "Oh hi, Akutagawa Jiroh! And his friend! Are you searching for Fuji?"
"That's right." Jiroh shone happily at Oishi.
"He isn't in the same class with us, but I was just heading there to pick up my…" Oishi gave a blush. "…my boyfriend. He has class with him."
"I see." Jiroh said. "He paired you up, am I right?"
"R-right." Oishi confessed. "Shall we go? It's not far away."
"Sure, let's go! Come, Marui!" Jiroh practically jumped over to the Rikkaidai player and grabbed his arm.
"Are you coming too, Tezuka?" Oishi turned to the so-called teacher and the two other boys froze.
So this was tensai Fuji Syusuke's infamous boyfriend. Marui recalled Fuji dating a student, and not a teacher and Jiroh vividly recalled this person in front of him did look much alike the one who had played against Atobe. But he couldn't be sure, with all the sleeping.
Rumor had that Fuji's boyfriend was strict and scary, and by the looks of it they were true.
"I have a lot of homework to finish. I'll see you tomorrow." Tezuka replied simply, there was no way he was gonna get caught in another one of Fuji's schemes. Oishi looked after the captain rather confused, since Tezuka usually always followed him to Eiji and Fuji's class. It was like a double date, without the actual date.
"Eiji!" Oishi called as he had taken the two other tennis players to the right class. His boyfriend and Fuji were already exiting their class.
"Fuji!" Jiroh joined in, and Fuji also stopped and looked over his shoulder.
"Look what I found outside our class." Oishi said motioning towards Jiroh and Marui, before stepping closer and almost unnoticeably giving Eiji a peck on the cheek.
Jiroh grabbed Fuji with his free hand, the one that wasn't still holding onto Marui.
"Ah, Jiroh…" Fuji smiled. "How did it go with Atobe?"
"Great! I've been sleeping with him ever since you set us up!" Jiroh replied and the others fell silent.
"That's…good to hear, I guess." Fuji was the first one to speak.
"Yeah, it's become like a habit! I go over there every night and we leave together for class the next morning!"
"S-so, what are you two doing here?" Oishi then asked. "I understand it was to see Fuji…"
Jiroh shot Marui a look, who just blew another bubble. "We're here to matchmake Marui-kun! Fuji-kun, would you help again?"
Fuji looked at the pink-haired boy. "Is it your doubles partner?"
Marui chewed on his gum. "How'd you guess?"
"Isn't it always?" Fuji smiled, and the Golden Pair behind him coughed, removing their entangled hands from one another. "Have you tried to ask him out yet?"
"Not really, since I'm the uke I think he shou-"
"Oh how wonderful, my two favorite players are getting along!! Favorite players outside from Hyotei, I mean!" Jiroh suddenly interrupted. "I know!! We could go on that triple date now; Marui, Jackal, Fuji, Tezuka, Atobe and me! That'd be so cool!!"
Eiji burst out into a laughter, supporting himself on his partner. "Yeah, Tezuka'd love that!"
Fuji turned his gaze momentarily towards Eiji, making the boy hold his tongue, before placing it back on Jiroh.
"I'm not sure I could get him convinced." Fuji started and Jiroh shot him two puppy eyes. "…But I'll try. Why don't you two go and get ready with your dates and I'll meet you at the new sushi restaurant at seven if I succeed in talking him over."
"Sounds good to me." Marui replied. "I'll just tell Jackal that it's a night out with some guys."
Fuji nodded. "And then Atobe and Jiroh can do the eye-opening for him, if I can't get Tezuka to go with me. I'd ruin the whole atmosphere by coming alone and making it look like you were actually just out with some friends and not on a…triple date, or a double date."
"Sugoi!! Sugoi!!! I wish you the best of luck with your boyfriend! Otherwise we really have to reschedule this!" Jiroh practically bounced between his two favorite players.
"That'd be wise, since it's Tezuka we're talking about!" Eiji couldn't help giggling.
"So it's settled then." Marui said. "I guess I'll be on my way back to school to see if Jackal is still there."
"Oh, can I come?" Jiroh begged. "I already met Fuji's boyfriend!…And he was kind of scary…"
Fuji jerked slightly. Jiroh met Tezuka? Uh-oh.
"Sure, just don't fall asleep on me in the bus again." Marui commented and Jiroh followed him out, babbling loudly.
"I guess I'll go and see Tezuka then." Fuji said as the two had disappeared. Eiji broke out laughing.
"You can't be serious! He'll never agree to this!" Eiji had to support himself against Oishi again. "Even you can't make him!"
"Mmm, we'll just have to see." Fuji smiled and started walking.
"He's really going to!" Eiji said shocked. "He's going to ask Tezuka out on a triple date!"
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Tezuka opened the front door, since he was home alone at the moment, revealing one slender tensai.
"Hi, Tezuka-" Fuji smiled.
"Absolutely not!" Tezuka interrupted and Fuji's smile faltered for a second there. "Whatever you want, my answer is no!"
Fuji's smile returned. For a minute there he was afraid somebody had called to warn Tezuka about the triple date. "What if I told you I was being stalked by some very scary guys and needed shelter?" Fuji joked.
"I'd say you've had it coming for the longest time." Tezuka replied and Fuji stalked past him.
"Now that was rude." the tensai faked sad. "Are you saying that I'm easy?"
Tezuka almost sighed as he shut the door and turned to Fuji. No, not easy. Just flirty…and gorgeous- "What is it this time?"
Fuji smiled even brighter. "I just thought we could-"
"I want the truth." Tezuka interrupted again. He knew Fuji too well for those kinds of games, after all he was Fuji's boyf-, er captain! And teammate, and classmate for a couple of years now.
"I was going to ask you out on a triple date." Fuji then said and Tezuka almost made an expression, his eyebrow only twitching once!
"…What?"
"See, wouldn't it have been better if I had just told you we're going out together with some guys?"
"Or some other way lured me out to the right place at the right time." Tezuka filled in and Fuji's smile widened in a 'yes'.
"It would be you, me, Atobe, Jiroh and one of Rikkaidai's doubles pairs." Fuji informed. "So what do you say?"
"No way." Tezuka replied sternly.
"You'd get to meet Atobe again! And we could probably go playing tennis afterwards." Fuji continued.
"Forget it."
"And I'll give you a massage." Fuji said, leaving Tezuka choking on the next rejection he had planned to let out any second now. "We have time, it doesn't start before seven."
How was it that the thought of Fuji's fingers on his skin seemed so appealing? Come to think of it his shoulder had been aching a little more today than normally…or was his mind just making it up in order to sway him over?
Tezuka cleared his throat. "I told you already-"
"Do I have to resort to blackmail?" Fuji smiled, but opened his eyes and Tezuka visually jerked backwards, much to Fuji's amusement. Suddenly the massage was starting to sound appealing again.
"You would blackmail your own captain?" Tezuka knew the answer before he even blurted out the question.
"Yes." Fuji gave him that same smile, closing his eyes again.
Tezuka reconsidered his options, or atleast made it look like he was. "I have unfinished homework."
He could always try to be less easy of a prey, he would hate to become Fuji's little lap dog that sat and played dead whenever Fuji told it to.
"I can help." Fuji smiled. "I have some homework too. Then I'll give you that massage."
Fuji slipped out of his shoes and led the way to Tezuka's room. Tezuka hated how under Fuji's thumb he seemed to have become during the past few weeks. The lap dog, to be painfully precise. Now he was stuck with a triple date and Fuji's very interesting company until then.
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Jiroh glanced the restaurant door.
"Give it up, Jiroh." Atobe's voice came annoyed. "It's almost eight already, they're not coming!"
Atobe was cranky. He had not agreed to this! When Jiroh had come to him with those puppy eyes and asked him out to the new restaurant, which wasn't very fancy either, Atobe had not known there were gonna be others!
Somehow the sleepy boy had failed to mention that part and Atobe blamed Fuji. That boy was a bad influence on Jiroh and Atobe wished Jiroh would've picked a more sane tennis player to adore, like himself! Little did Atobe know just how much Jiroh did adore him, more than Fuji and Marui together.
Jiroh sighed. "I guess he's really not coming. Come, Marui! Let's give Fuji a phone call and confirm!" And give Atobe some time to have a heart to heart seme-talk with Jackal.
Jiroh gave Atobe a peck on the lips before getting up with Marui, leaving a stunned Jackal behind. Realization started to dawn for also Atobe with the part he was supposed to play there tonight, when seeing Jackal's shocked expression. More precisely the part he and Tezuka were supposed to play.
The Hyotei captain gritted his teeth together.
As another seme, Tezuka should've atleast had the decency to call and inform that he wasn't coming. Guess something had come up that had stolen his attention…caused by one uke in question.
"S-so, you and Jiroh…" Jackal's voice interrupted the heavy silence that hang over the table and Atobe glanced him.
"Yeah." Atobe shrugged. He would just have to do the eye-opening alone.
Atobe would never admit it, but if he didn't fall through now he would have to see that heartbroken and disappointed look on his new boyfriend's face and he would feel guilty. It was a burden every seme carried, who had an uke as cute as Jiroh. Atobe suspected that if this worked out, Jackal would have the same situation with his uke.
"How long have you been dating?" Atobe then pushed all the thoughts out off his pretty head and concentrated on Jackal instead.
"D-dating? Me and Marui?" the Rikkaidai player managed to cough out.
"Well since Jiroh is taken and you sure aren't dating me either, so yes."
"R-right, we are just doubles partners."
Atobe resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yeah, like I haven't heard that before." he was gonna get a confession out of the other boy.
"It's true!"
The Hyotei captain narrowed his eyes. "You have been playing together for how long now? Three years or so? And you're telling me that the two of you are only friends. What are you, straight?"
Jackal was totally taken aback by that question, his face flushing slightly and Atobe let out a smug smirk.
"I see, for how long have you had feelings for him then?"
Jackal seemed to be seriously considering not to answer to that question, but Atobe was looking at him in the whole don't-make-me-repeat-myself way. "Since…we first paired up…"
Atobe took a sip from his drink. "So why have you never tried anything?"
"I was afraid he'd freak out or that he was straight."
"That is a lame excuse." Atobe sighed bored. "Well, you have your chance now."
"What? Is he..?! Is this a…?!"
"Yes, a…triple date…Tezuka and Fuji were supposed to show up, but I guess either one of them got tied down." Atobe replied, sipping on his drink again and Jiroh and Marui returned to their table.
"He didn't answer!" Jiroh sniffled disappointed, hugging his boyfriend's arm. "I called his phone atleast five times!"
"Ten times..." Marui muttered. "But who's counting."
"I guess I should be going then." Atobe interrupted and stood up, wrapping his quite expensive jacket around him.
"Eh?! But we just got here!" Jiroh shot him another one of his looks. Atobe drew the boy close and up from the chair.
"We can do this again some other time when Tezuka and Fuji aren't away doing exactly what I'd feel like doing right now." he spoke into the boy's ear, casting an eye at Marui who only blew another bubble and Jackal who was starting to take Marui's hair color onto his cheeks. "At home, in my room…"
"Oh, do you want to go to bed again?" Jiroh's expression lightened up and Atobe smirked, circling an arm around the other boy.
"Something like that." he smiled and pulled Jiroh along towards the door, when Jackal suddenly had caught up to them and placed a hand upon his shoulder.
"Atobe, wait!" Jackal hissed and took him aside. "There's just…something I've wanted to know…"
"And what is that? I don't have time to stand here all night."
"Well, between us, um, semes…how is it like? With Jiroh."
"Well, that is a longer conversation. Maybe you should ask that grey-haired guy from your other doubles pair." the Hyotei captain said. It would've been too embarrassing to say he didn't know what it was like with his little boyfriend, because Jiroh always fell asleep just when he was starting to drop 'innocent' hints.
But not tonight. Tonight Atobe would succeed, even if he had to force a whole package of coffee down the smaller boy to get him to stay awake.
"Niou?"
"That's the one."
"Niou's gay?"
"I'm very sure of it." Atobe's tone sounded seductive and Jackal took a step back.
"…Niou's seme?"
"Not all the time." Atobe said, turning back to Jiroh. "Not in my case…" he added and left the restaurant with the bedhaired boy clinging on his arm.
"Niou? Well I guess that makes sense…" Jackal mumbled for himself, when a pop behind him brought him back to earth and caused him to jump. "Marui!! You scared me."
Marui just chewed on his gum. "Did they really leave?"
"A-ah, they did."
"So do you wanna finish the dinner then?" Marui said, not actually waiting for an answer and sat down in front of the table again.
"Why in such a hurry?" Jackal couldn't help teasing and Marui shot him a look. "Could it be that you want to get to the dessert already?"
"They have rasberry cakes here!" Marui said to his defence and Jackal laughed, relieved how normal it all seemed once more...or did it? A short silence followed as Marui quickly ate what was left of his food, Jackal not being able to swallow another piece of his.
"Marui?"
"Yeah?" Marui asked with his mouth full.
Jackal bit his lower lip. "We should go out more often."
Marui swallowed his food. "Sure."
"…I mean alone."
"Sure."
"Together."
"Uh-huh."
"…"
Jackal was just about to try to hint again what he was chasing there, when Marui had spotted a waiter and ordered a cake with some cream. Jackal was bound to succeed in telling Marui tonight. He had held this inside of him for too long, and now that he knew that also Marui was gay maybe he stood a chance.
"Here, let me." Jackal offered and took the spoon, leading some cake with cream on it into Marui's mouth. Marui happily ate off the food he kept feeding the boy, and Jackal every once in a while served some for himself before picking up a new spoon-filled for Marui again.
This was the perfect chance for him to perform an oh-so-innocent mistake and drop yet another hint.
"Oops, I'm so sorry!" Jackal gave out a small laughter, taking some paper and starting to brush the cream and cake he just had dropped into Marui's lap. Marui took a hold on his chair and fell totally silent as Jackal added a little more pressure in his motions.
"Well, I guess I got it all off, but maybe you'd still like to remove your pants…" he said, placing his gaze on Marui who's breath was both shorter and faster than before.
He had succeeded alright. By the looks of it Marui had gotten the message. …But maybe he had sounded a little too perverted just now.
"And get a pair of new ones." he hurried to add.
He was not gonna hint to try to molest his doubles partner the same night he came out. Marui still didn't reply, and it was almost unbelievable how shocked the other boy seemed. Marui who so rarely acted like a grown up otherwise.
"I know you're gay…" Jackal then said, in a hope to break the silence that floated around them and just bring out the facts. He was just about to continue when Marui's voice interrupted his confession.
"What? I'm not gay."
"Y-You're not gay?" But Atobe had just said…was this all just a cruel joke? Wasn't three years of lusting after his doubles player enough? Were they all in on this together to punish him?
Marui took another piece of cake. "I only said it to get Jiroh off my back for a while…"
"I…I'm sorry. I guess I got the wrong idea…" Jackal muttered and stood up. "I gotta go." Shit, now Marui probably could figure out he was gay! And the the boy could also guess from there that Jackal had feelings for him.
He had only made it a few steps before Marui spoke again. "Aren't you gonna help me finish this? I mean I like cakes, but this might be a little too much to eat even for me."
Jackal stopped and turned around. Was Marui forgiving him? Was he gonna give him another chance to be as they were before?
Marui patted the chair he had been sitting on. "Come and sit down."
Jackal did as he was told and awkwardly made eyecontact with the other boy again. Marui had picked up a piece of cake and was leading it to his mouth. Due to being more than slightly confused at the moment Jackal accepted the food.
"Marui-" he tried to speak with his mouth full, as Marui led a spoon of cream into his mouth as well. Jackal was close to choking, but strangely happy. Marui was okay with it…or then he was just too into their tennis together and friendship to even think about what it all really meant.
Before Jackal could worry any more about their relationship from now on, Marui had suddenly leaned in and was kissing his lips. Jackal's eyes widened as Marui pushed his tongue inside his mouth, sharing the piece of cake with him as the kiss went on.
As soon as they were done, Marui pulled apart and Jackal eyed him in disbelief. "I…I thought you were straight." That had not been a friendly kiss!
"And I thought you would never try to confess to me." Marui replied and digged inside his bag for a piece of gum. "That was just a payback for making me sweat and lose my breath before."
"You prankster!" Jackal then finally broke out laughing, and Marui started chewing on the new bubble gum. "You were messing with me. You really had me going there!"
"I couldn't resist." the pink-haired boy smiled, and got up from his chair. Marui had waited for Jackal to give him a real confession. He would not have settled with the hints Jackal had been throwing him. Who knows, maybe the plan had failed and Jackal would've been talking to him as his friend. Then Marui would've been the one to embarrass himself.
It was first when the word 'gay' escaped Jackal's lips that Marui took the chance.
"But I'll have to leave you for a while. I promised I'd call Jiroh and tell him how it went...and Jiroh also wanted me to call Fuji and tell him as well, but I doubt I will get a hold on him." Marui said, leaning in and sealing lips with his doubles partner again.
"A-ah." Jackal only sat there still quite shocked as Marui left to find the phones. This was a good opportunity for him to process what had happened tonight and maybe make some sense out of it all as well.
Jackal leaned back into his chair and let his thoughts run free, chewing on his bubble gum…or wait a second! Where had this gum come from?!
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
Slender fingers smoothed over his skin, making him almost give out quiet moans. He was almost ashamed of how much he was enjoying Fuji's touches on his naked shoulders and back.
"Ne, how does that feel?" Fuji's voice murmured into Tezuka's ear, and the captain finally gave out a quiet sound. "So aren't you happy that I came over?"
Tezuka refused to admit that he actually was. Fuji sure knew how to massage, those gentle fingers on his bare skin sent shivers up and down his spine, and lately Tezuka had seemed to develop this kind of a content when Fuji was around. He hated himself for it, especially since it was all probably just another game to Fuji.
This time Fuji had taken it too far. Because what if…what if he was really falling for the tensai they all loved and no one could have? Fuji didn't seem to be the kind of person to let someone that close.
"Yeah, overjoyed. First you distract me from my homework and then you fall asleep in my lap." Tezuka snorted, and it almost sounded convincing enough.
Fuji's fingers paused momentarily. "Says he who ran fingers through my hair and then claimed it to be an accident."
"I was reaching for my notebook from under you." Tezuka protested.
"You missed it. Especially since it was placed under my belly." Fuji pointed out and continued to massage.
Tezuka bit back a groan. He should've known he could never get away with it! It had been a temptation he hadn't been able to resist, although it was an act so small in itself.
And for the love of anything holy; what had gotten into him?! Why had Fuji become like an obsession to him all of a sudden? Fuji's warm breath on his thighs as the boy had fallen asleep leaning over his lap, Fuji's true form of closed eyes, Fuji temptingly soft hair…
"We missed the date with Hyotei and Rikkaidai." Tezuka then decided to change subject.
"I know." Fuji replied and remembered how he had woken up in Tezuka's lap at the sound of his cell phone ringing. "But my intentions were never fully concentrated on going on that date anyway."
Tezuka was silent for a while, pondering. "Then why did you come over to convince me to go?" Fuji had practically trapped Tezuka into agreeing to go. Why didn't they go then? And why hadn't Fuji just told Jiroh that he had failed to take Tezuka with him?
"Saa, wonder why…" Fuji just smirked and continued to massage Tezuka's shoulder.