Pairing: Trick Pair
Rating: Dark T
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It was months ago, so many months ago when Yuki-buchou had left the team because of that disease he had. That illness that made him weak, afraid, and a shell of himself. I would never say it but I pitied him…and yet….
Yukimura-buchou was and is my idol. He is the goal I want to be when I grow up, that power he holds on and off the court, his greatness and the fear he brings to his opponents; I want to be able to do that too….
But….
Looking up from his crouching position emerald green orbs looked about the small room, everything was messy just as he had left it and yet it seemed to be more dark.
Turning to look out his window to see the moon, didn't help only making his room look more darker than it already felt, a sudden pale fist clenched grabbing and pulling at the bed sheets; soon the once silent room was filled with violent coughs….and the smell of blood.
"I envy him"
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"What's up Akaya you've gotten weaker or something!" Marui yelled from across the courts as an out of breath kouhai was wheezing
"S-shut up senpai! I just had a big breakfast"
"Oooo really" sarcasm filled his voice as the redhead, walked off with his racket over his shoulder "then let's break while Bakaya gets his breath back"
"I said shut up Marui-senpai! I'm fine let's continue!" pulling himself up straight, the black haired boy refused to lose during a practice match. His pride wouldn't let him lose no matter what.
"No, I'm low on sugar I need to recharge"
"..fatty" pouting, Akaya placed his racket over his shoulder and walked off the courts, if the third year got a break so did he!
Picking up his water bottle, the second year chugged his drink earning his a rough assortment of coughs, and then a large hand patting his back
"Slow down a bit seaweed head"
"Niou-senpai"
"Sup brat" wringing his fingers into the kid's mangle of black curls, he got a growl in response
"Why does everyone do that"
"Why not" smirking, Niou's white teeth glared
"It annoys the hell out of me!"
"Ah right, right the only one you want petting you is buchou huh? I get it"
"That's not it stupid!"
"What!? did little Akaya just call me a stupid?" grabbing hold of the boy's head a litter harder, Niou glared "That's. not. nice. Brat."
"….s-sorry" whispering the sour apology Akaya flushed red with embarrassment and looked away from the ice blue eyes of his senpai, when he saw from the corner of his eye a sudden wide grin appear on the third years face, his stomach flipped.
"Much better" winking at the kid, Niou walked off towards Marui, most likely to take his cake or torment him in another way.
Akaya shook his head and fixed his hair as good as he could with it always being unruly, bringing up his racket, his felt a compulsion run through his body and his fists clenched tightly around the handle of his racket, feeling weak at the knees Akaya fell to the bench with a grunt.
'Damn it….not here' holding his arms the best he could without looking out of place, Akaya grabbed his bottle and chugged the water as far as it would go down his throat, he automatically knew from trying this idea before that it was a bad idea- but. He could not- under any circumstances- let his senpai-tachi see how drained he had become.
Swallowing, Akaya grimaced as he tasted a sour and bitter flavor mixed in with the water. Drying his mouth with the back of his hand the second year got up and tossed the bottle into the bin and walked off with his racket over his shoulder.
"Marui-senpai! Come on you're so slow!"
"Sahup Afkaya!" screaming from across the courts, the redhead still had un-swallowed pieces of cake and sweets in his mouth. Turning on his heel the black haired boy grunted, trying to get that sour taste from his mouth when again he felt a hand on his head
"Grr Niou-senpai! I told you-!"
"Hmm?"
"Y-Yukimura-buchou" flushing a bit at the tip of his ears, Akaya put his racket at his sides and faced his captain
"What are you doing Akaya?"
"Nothing buchou, just waiting for Marui-senpai to stop eating so we can get back to our practice match"
"How about we have a game?"
"E-eh? I-"
"I'm sure you've improved much since the last time we had a set"
"Yes! I have! Yes I do!" smiling down at his baby, Yukimura turned to Marui who was heading over with a raised brow
"I'm taking your partner for a set Marui"
"Oh all right then, be good on him Yukimura; Akaya's getting weaker"
"I am not! I told you I had a big breakfast, my mom woke up early and made me lots of food….since it was there I ate most of it" pouting Akaya felt a smile aimed at him from behind and instantly knew it was his captain's smile
"I'm glad you had a big breakfast Akaya but I'm still getting Yanagi to make you a better food chart to watch your metabolism"
"…yes sir"
"Alright then, Marui if you'll excuse us" with a wave of his hand the redhead ran back to his bench when "I hope you're going back to have a set with Yagyuu and not over there to eat Marui"
"Eh- uh right! Of course!" turning in mid run the third year ran towards the team's stoic player, and away from that smile.
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"Now let's head to court 5"
"Um buchou could I go to the bathroom first?"
"Of course" watching his kouhai head first to his bag and grab something and then run off, Yukimura didn't think any more about it.
Being after school there were no students in the large empty hallways of Rikkai, much to Akaya's pleasure. Locking the boys bathroom door and then choosing the last stall, the boy locked that one too until he was sure he was completely alone did he take something out of his tennis shorts.
Uncapping the bottle, the boy took two white pills out and anxiously stared at them, glaring against his pale skin. Akaya popped them into his mouth without a moment's hesitation. He knew what he did was possibly the worst thing he could do but…it was necessary, he needed the energy to match with Yukimura.
Unlocking the stall door, Akaya walked over to the sink and washed his hands wetting his face he looked up at the mirror with a grimace. Dark rings were beginning to form draining his face of what little color he already had, shaking his head Akaya cursed
"I must be more tired than I thought"
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After a close game of 5-7 in Yukimura's favor, Akaya laid on the ground heaving as much air his lungs could take
"That was a wonderful game Akaya, you really have grown"
"T-thanks a lot buchou" still from his position on the ground, the glare of the sun was soon blocked from his sight by a head
"Come on get up, laying down right after a game is bad for you the blood rushes to your head; come on Sanada is going to treat us all to some food"
"I think I'll pass buchou, I'm just going to stay here"
"…are you sure?"
"Yeah"
"Are you feeling ill?" knowing his baby, the boy would normally jump at any opportunity to get free food
"No I'm fine just tired….but"
"But?"
Glaring up at his captain Akaya pouted "don't think I won't beat you one day Yukimura-buchou!" surprised sapphire glanced down then turned soft
"That's a day I'm hoping for Akaya" turning to leave with his rackets in his tennis bag, the rest of the team followed
"Don't forget to lock up Akaya! I left the key on your bag" came Sanada's thick voice followed by the hard clang of the metal fences of the courts. And then silence.
He was alone…. "great now I'm stuck locking the clubroom, damn it" getting up Akaya gathered his racket and stuffed it into his bag, grabbing the keys the junior headed to the clubroom and undressed when he had finally gotten his shirt off; a creeping familiar sense of constriction in his chest grew into his arms and down his body.
Instantly after the tightness came what he feared, the coughs so strong they made him drop his shirt and fall onto the floor. Kneeing over Akaya clenched the edge of the bench and held his mouth, trying to calm the coughs but no matter what he did; they became more violent and soon the room smelled of thick blood.
And then a flash of blue caught his eye and a voice "Akaya!"
"..N-Niou- s-!" crimson liquid spilled from his pale lips, covering his teeth and chin; Niou ran into the back towards the showers and grabbed as many towels as he could coming back to press them to his kouhai's red mouth. Grimacing Niou tried to block out the sour metallic smell of Akaya's blood, the sound of the stomach wrenching coughs and wheezing of just barely not enough air, he tried to block out the feel of warm blood seeping onto his own white shorts and the heaviness of the towel now dyed red.
"Damn it, hang on Akaya" slightly pissed that his voice wavered, Niou was about to get up and get a bottle of water from his bag when the second year kept him down
"D-don't, w-wait i-t ou-!" again the boy was attacked with compulsion after compulsion of coughs and blood and again the room was filled with a sour metallic smell.
Worry lines and fear shone through the third years icy blue eyes, as time passed slowly for sure the coughs were staring to calm down until finally.
It was over.
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"…are you alright now?" again Niou mentally cursed his voice for wavering, but after that…he had right to be.
"Y-yeah ugh I need to wash my mouth" grimacing at the smell of his breath Akaya wobbly headed to the bathrooms with Niou close behind, Akaya refused to be held up but he didn't mind being watched over.
"What the hell happened" it was a demand more than a question
"…."
"Akaya"
"…."
"You don't have to tell me but I have a right to know, why the hell you were coughing up fucking blood!"
"…"
"…Fine, see if I care-"
"You remember when buchou was sick, and he had to be put in the hospital"
"Of course"
"Remember when he couldn't play any tennis…at the time I pitied him"
"…"
"But deep down…I envied him" hearing the footsteps of his senpai come closer until he was leaning on the wall beside him,
"Why?"
"Because in the end his sickness was cured…mine can't"
"What sickness Akaya" looking directly into icy blue orbs, peridot eyes lightly shaded to harlequin
"The side effects of childhood tuberculosis"
"What? You never-"
"I didn't want anyone to know"
"But all those times you played, hell every time you had a match you never showed any sign-"
"Because recently my medicine is running out…and we don't have a lot of money"
"…Still" Niou couldn't continue, he knew whatever he said would be countered by a stronger argument. If the kid had told them; what could they do? Nothing. If he needed to rest; then where would it get him? Nowhere. Is he needed money would they have helped…yes but. Akaya wouldn't accept it. "Still! You- you should have done something!"
"What? The reason I kept quiet was because I knew you guys couldn't do anything for me"
"That's not good enough"
"What do you want me to do?! Huh! Take it easy because my lungs have been damaged by seven years of infection!? No! I'm not letting this after effect rule my life, I'm going to beat buchou, I'm going to beat the Three Demons and I'm going to be on top of the tennis world! Sitting on my ass, living in fear for having an attack is not something I plan on doing!"
Ice blue clashed with now shaded emerald, "I didn't mean that idiot"
"…then what"
"You could have trusted us more stupid! We wouldn't have kept you from playing but we would have prevented an attack like that!"
"No you couldn't, I took more medicine than I should have to keep the constriction from coming so I could match with buchou today"
"What?"
"I did this to myself"
"Bastard" before he could look to his right, Niou had already landed a left punch to his right cheek, sending him to the floor
"Ow what the hell!"
Without words Niou fell to his knees and grabbed Akaya's head close to his heart, ignoring the thumping in his chest and the shock radiating from the boy
"You scared the hell out of me idiot…I thought you were dying in my hands and I couldn't do a fucking thing about it"
"Niou-"
"I've never been so scared in my life Akaya" letting loose the boy until they were looking at each other in the face "don't you ever do that again"
Unconsciously the boy nodded "I'm sorry"
To find out Akaya had such a sickness like tuberculosis was beyond shocking, to find out he had healed but was still suffering from the after effects was bittersweet, but to find out that the boy did this to himself- fully knowing what he was doing- made him feel as if his heart stopped beating that instant.
Never again.
"I'll find a way to get you money in return I want you to never take more medicine than you need, got that" holding the boy's head in his hands Niou stared straight into peridot once more,
"How are you going to get the money?"
"I'll find a way" getting up the third year pulled the younger up as well, holding him until he could stand on his own
"..I promise"
"Hmm?"
"I said I promise, I won't do it again" reaching up with his left hand Niou took hold of Akaya's chin and grinned
"Then I'll seal it with a kiss" pressing his lips to the younger, although he could taste a linger of blood Niou could taste Akaya underneath it all- he really was as sweet as he thought. When Akaya finally got over the shock, he barely had time to press back before Niou pulled away, with a smirk on his face turning to leave.
Akaya flushed red with a harsh blush on his face taking his uncovered chest with it,
"W-what was that for?! N-Niou-senpai!" red cheeks burning, Akaya tried to ignore the fact that his blue haired upperclassman had just stolen his first kiss
"Niou-sen!" before he could finish he felt his pants pocket and the contents in which were missing, and the door to the locker room closing shut. Damn it all!
Niou stole his wallet.
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Me- disclaimer: I don't mean to offend anyone who really does have/had or knows someone who has/had tuberculosis, it just fit with the plot for this one-shot
Please read and reviews your thoughts!