Moar JaBun fiction!

[solanum_d]

I come bearing one of my Jackal/Marui fics for pot_bth. Yes, 'one of'. I wrote two! There will be another post. Possibly tommorow. *grins* In the meantime, onto the fic!


Disclaimer: Prince of Tennis belongs to Konomi, Konami, Viz, and some other people. I make no profits and write solely for my amusement and that of my readers.
Warnings: slight m/m, teenage awkwardness, mild vulgarity
A/N: I try to avoid using Japanese in my fiction. However, it's common in Japan to call the parents of a close friend aunt and uncle. I've done that here with both the Japanese and Portuguese.
Many thanks, as always, to my beta, senshixdoukeshi. You're always wonderful. *kisses*
Written for crazy_marik for pot_bth.

Passing Fascination

Embarrassing is probably the most vile word for an adolescent... closely followed by awkward. For Marui Bunta, the two decided to have an unfortunate meet and greet during his third year of junior high. Of course he'd experienced embarrassment and awkwardness before. But not like that. Not with the tennis team. Sure, they were the guys he spent the most time with; which in turn meant that they mattered the most. What truly made this embarrassing, awkward moment with his teammates unbearable was that it had been life-changing... or at the very least perspective-skewing.

Things couldn't have been more normal. He met Jackal in the hall after class, and they walked to the clubhouse together. The conversation was mundane in an utterly forgettable way. They worked up a sweat just walking between buildings with the hot summer air sweltering around them. Possibly they'd even discussed the weather, if even just to complain about it - beyond boring conversation. The clubhouse had the vaguely cheesy musk of adolescent sweat that it always did. Sanada stood near the door with Renji as they reviewed the regimen for that day's practice. Niou was talking lowly to Yagyuu; lips moving but voice unheard by anyone but his doubles partner. Kirihara was nowhere to be seen... yet; likely, he was going to be late, as usual. Status quo as far as lavender contacts could see. Why that day? Marui had no idea. But as he sat on the bench in front of his locker preparing to change into his tennis uniform, he just happened to glance up. It was a glance that became a look, then bordered dangerously on a stare. The crisp white of Jackal's school uniform shirt fell in sharp contrast to the deep brown of his skin as he slid it off. Muscles rippled along the smooth expanse of Jackal's back as he carefully folded the oxford and placed it in his locker. Marui managed to tear his eyes away from the ludicrously innocuous task quick enough to process a very distressing occurrence... an occurrence in his finely tailored uniform slacks. Not only had he openly ogled his doubles partner - long enough for anyone to have noticed - but his body had elected to get a hard-on about it... in the clubhouse full of guys. Not even a genius could process the chain of events, contemplate the implications, and think of a clever cover in that sudden a shock. He just sat, staring at the metal grates on his locker, leaning but trying not to hunch over the tent in his pants. He wished he could pull his backpack into his lap without it looking pathetically contrived. And he wasn't sure whether he was more disturbed by sporting lumber in the clubhouse or that he'd been staring at his partner when it had happened. He closed his eyes and willed it to pass, knowing full-well that it never worked. He'd been rubbed the right way by his underwear enough times to know that. He heard locker doors slamming, voices fading as players headed out to the courts for the beginning of practice, the sound of Kirihara's feet pounding across the floor as he hurried to catch up. Meanwhile, Marui sat - still in his school clothes - knowing he was blushing and unsure how his blood could be so active in two places at once. He chalked it up to being a genius and then wished for some kind of minor meteor event or small nuclear apocalypse that could distract everyone long enough for him to escape.

No such luck. His vice-captain was way too uptight, and his partner was way too considerate for Marui to have any kind of mercy that day. The sharp bark of his name startled him, but did nothing to diminish the problem in his pants, though he'd been sure that if anything could make an erection wilt it would be Sanada. He was trying to get his tongue to work - since it had suddenly become as soft as his dick was hard - when he felt a big, warm hand on his shoulder. He knew that hand. He knew that touch. It was horrible because it was strong and gentle, and he felt his erection jerk in his pants. "I think he might be overheated," Jackal's quiet voice carried through the rapidly emptying clubhouse, steady and protective. Marui finally opened his eyes to try to form some kind of fabrication because Jackal had just inadvertently given him the greatest excuse ever, but he saw Kirihara staring at him with his mouth hanging open... or more precisely, staring at his crotch. Discretion and dignity took a vacation at this discovery, and Marui's fight or flight response told him escape was the only option. Face a pink to clash with his dyed-hair, he grabbed his backpack, using it to the best of his abilities to shield himself, and ran for the door. Maybe it was because he had the element of surprise on his side, but no one tried to stop him, and he didn't stop until he was safely in his bedroom where he could privately die of humiliation.

The warm orange brightness of late afternoon crept between Marui's slowly opening eyelids. That dream again. He was thoroughly sick of reliving that day. Sand slipped off of his calves as he sat up. How the hell did that get there? Probably Kirihara thinking that he'd developed an excellent sense of humor. His mouth was dry; he hoped he hadn't fallen asleep with it hanging open. How tacky. His nose felt a little warm - the first hints of sunburn. Great. Jackal'd probably never had a sunburn. Marui's cheeks puffed out with an exhale that was one part frustration, two parts jealousy, and a final bit that he didn't like to think about very much, but had become increasingly comfortable with as the years passed. He dusted the rest of the sand from his legs. Fortunately, the little devil - or not-so-little since his latest growth spurt - had realized it would be in very poor taste to bury the parts of Marui that were on his blanket. Though, he probably had Yanagi to thank for that small blessing. The rest of the blankets and towels were gone, oddly smoothed sand the only indication that they'd ever been there. The remnants of smashed watermelon and rind littered the sand near his feet. He'd fallen asleep after gorging himself. His hands were still sticky. He rubbed them on the blanket absently. Had everyone gone and left him to roast in the sun? A glance behind found the Jackal family cooler still sitting on the corner of his blanket, condensation dripping down its sides to a dark wet outline on the fabric. Jackal had stayed with him. Some part of Marui clenched inside and he turned back in the direction of the water.

There he was, standing in the surf. Even from the distance Marui could see the tiny droplets of water clinging to Jackal's back - the same back that had once been the origin of such awkwardness. Back then, he'd have blamed the warm feeling gathering in his stomach on overheating and dehydration, residual bleariness from his nap, or hunger. Now, he knew better... though there was probably a bit of truth to all of the above. He was content to just watch the way Jackal moved in the water, diving into waves, letting them crash into his body. He looked powerful and beautiful; Marui could watch him for hours.

He'd thought it was a phase - a fascination brought on by puberty and propinquity. It was normal to get embarrassing and untimely hard-ons in middle school. It was even normal to have sexual thoughts about a close friend. He'd read that somewhere once. He figured he'd grow out of it in a month or by the end of the year. Then they'd had their first day at Rikkai Dai Fuzokukou, and Jackal had walked into their class - they'd never been in the same class before. He'd looked good in their new blazer uniforms, different than the ones they'd worn in middle school. Marui remembered feeling his heart crawl up into his throat, making a casual "long time no see" impossible. Jackal had spent most of the summer in Brazil visiting his family. It had been Marui's first summer without his doubles partner since their first year of middle school. He'd thought that maybe the time apart would be good - help him get over the strange crush of sorts. An "out of sight, out of mind" experience. It had been a lonely and boring summer. And he really wasn't prepared for how good it was going to be to see Jackal again. Jackal sat down next to him and said, easy as can be, "Hey. I missed you this summer." It made Marui's stomach ache. He'd smiled and said, as lightly as possible, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." Then he'd watched Jackal laugh, wanted to cry, and knew that it wasn't a passing attraction.

It had been two years since then. They returned for another term of their final year of high school in two days. Marui wasn't in any hurry to leave the beach or Jackal. He sat. He watched. He waited. He didn't know how much time he was allowed to just soak up the moment. Eventually, Jackal saw that he was awake and jogged up the beach to meet him. "Hey."

"Hey."

"Good nap?"

"I think I got a sunburn."

"Oh. I didn't think about that. I should've covered you or something."

"You didn't need to do anything like that." Marui wondered if he was blushing and was suddenly glad of any sunburn he might have. "I'm gonna have freckles." He quickly reached for a shirt and yanked it over his head.

Jackal grabbed his towel off the blanket and dried his body in quick swipes. "I like your freckles."

"They're dorky."

Jackal shrugged and turned to look at the water, towel draped around his shoulders. The sun was setting behind them, gleaming off of the bronze skin of Jackal's back. "Are you ready for summer to end?"

"Not really. I'm not even ready for today to end."

"Wanna stay at my place tonight?"

"Yeah. I'll call home when we get there and let my parents know." They spent time at each other's houses so often that their parents typically assumed if they weren't home they were with one another. Still, they always made the call. It was courtesy or good upbringing or a desire to always have the privilege of staying over together. "Help me shake out this blanket." Sand clung to the underside of the fabric as they each took opposing corners, falling with each vigorous shake to catch on Jackal's moist calves or be flung by the wind against Marui's face and chest - an unfair trick of weather and physics. Marui took the blanket once they'd folded it and shouldered his bag. "What are your parents making for dinner?"

Jackal pulled on a tee-shirt and picked up the cooler. "I think that you just come to my house to eat."

"Not just to eat." They shared an easy smile at an old joke, heading off the beach and onto the wooden walkway that lead to the road. Little trails of sand followed them as it was knocked out of their flip-flops. They walked up the street to the train station with the warm coastal breeze blowing against their faces and the glow of the sunset slowly fading. It would've been a great scene in a shoujo manga, Marui thought with a mental chuckle.

The plastic seat on the train was cold against the backs of Marui's thighs and he ignored Jackal's frown when he propped his feet on the cooler. The train ride was generally smooth, as always, but he made sure to sit as relaxed as possible, so any small jostle would shift him to brush against Jackal. It was pretty cheap and pathetic, but he'd take what he could get when he could get it.

"I don't know."

"That's not too unusual, but what exactly don't you know this time."

"What my parents prepared for dinner."

He said it so sincerely. Marui laughed. "I'd forgotten I'd even asked. I just always assume it's going to be good."

"Well, I'd never answered your question... and I know that food is important to you... so..."

No one would ever care about him quite like Jackal, and that was more than enough. "It's okay, Jackal. Don't look so awkward."

"Your hair is awkward."

"Your lack of hair is awkward."

"No. My hair is awkward."

"You win." Marui'd seen pictures, and that was some crazy hair. Promise to a coach or no, Marui could see why he wouldn't want to grow it back in. Besides, the bald was kind of sexy. Not that he was going to be telling that little detail to his doubles partner any time soon.

When they stepped off the train at Jackal's stop, Marui noticed an oddly cool gust of wind and only had a moment to dread what he knew what was coming next. The rain came in such a heavy and sudden sheet that the sky seemed to have just opened up. It was cold. He bit back on the screech that wanted to work its way out and looked up at Jackal through sopping bangs. "Run," he heard above the roar of the train pulling away. He nodded, and they both gripped their cargo a little more firmly and took off up the street to Jackal's home. It wasn't too far, but by the time they got into the foyer, they were dripping steadily. Jackal's shirt clung to every inch of skin. He may as well not have been wearing one, but he was oddly more interesting with the shirt. "I look like a drowned pink lab rat."

"Only a little."

Marui would have smacked Jackal with the sodden blanket in his arms, except that he knew it would spray everything in the vicinity with water and he felt bad enough for dripping all over the Jackals' floor.

"Mom." Jackal had the quietest shout that Marui'd ever heard... except when he was serving. Somehow his mother heard him anyway.

She came out of her office looking the part of the scholar that she was - glasses, hair messy and pulled back, one of her husband's shirts and a pair of faded slacks. She was a professor of humanities at a nearby university. Her specialization was in Latin American cultures. Jackal's parents had met while she was doing graduate studies in Brazil. They'd been separated briefly while Mayumi returned to Japan to finish her doctorate, but she quickly went back Brazil and Thiago. Marui thought it was a great story. He especially loved hearing Jackal's parents tell it in the strange combination of Japanese and Portuguese that marked all of the conversation in the household.

"You're dripping on the floor, Kuwahara," she raised an eyebrow disapprovingly. She was five foot two inches and could cow her gigantic son with a single look. "Thia, we need some towels in here."

"Just one moment." The call came from the kitchen, where Marui could smell spice rubbed pork roasting. It made his stomach growl loudly enough to cut through the tension.

"Ah. Marui. You must be hungry. We'll get you a towel so you can dry off," she smiled warmly at him.

"Thanks. It's good to see you again, obachan."

"You know you're always welcome. Will you be staying over?"

"Yes, if it's alright."

"Absolutely. Just don't forget to call your parents."

"Of course."

At this point, Jackal's dad came in wearing an apron and handing off towels. He was as big, dark and seemingly imposing as his son and twice as gentle. His Japanese was broken, interspersed with random Portuguese, and heavily accented. Marui loved it. "Thanks, Tio."

"Go. Clean up." He took the wet blanket from Marui and turned back to the kitchen. Marui found himself being dragged up the stairs by his doubles partner.

"They never get mad at you."

"Just be glad I'm here to smooth over the situation with my calming presence."

"Calming?"

"Charismatic then. Now drag me faster or let me walk. I want to eat."

****

"Ugh. I'm stuffed." Marui flopped onto Jackal's bed. It was an appropriately huge bed. He remembered when Jackal started to grow out of his old bed from middle school. He was some huge height these days that totally negated any growing - two meager inches - that Marui had done.

"If you're stuffed I suppose you don't have any room for this." Jackal pulled a shiny box out of his closet. Marui recognized it immediately. Occasionally, Jackal's cousin would send him things from Brazil, including yummy chocolates. Jackal didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but he liked these because they were filled with liqueur.

"NO. I've got room. I have a second stomach for desserts. You know that."

Jackal's laugh easily echoed through the entire house, even though his door was shut. He joined Marui on the bed, flopping less and leaning against the headboard. He offered the box to Marui first, who took his time picking exactly the right chocolate. Food choice was important. The dark chocolate was smooth and the orange liqueur complimented it perfectly. Marui laid down, chewing slowly and letting all of the flavors wash over his mouth. He looked around the very familiar room. He'd spent as much time here as he had in his own since middle school. It was a really normal room. A couple of posters: tennis; soccer; a band from Brazil, Placebo. The weird thing was the lack of posters with scantily clad women... not that Marui had any. That would be fronting and Marui didn't front. Sure, he still thought girls were good-looking, but they couldn't compete with Jackal. "Are you still thinking about returning to Brazil for university?"

"Mm..." the thoughtful sound came deep from Jackal's chest, "I am. I'm still not sure."

"You'd stay with that cousin that sends you these chocolates, right?" He took another for emphasis.

"Yeah. She said I could."

"I can't believe you intend to leave me." Marui rolled onto his stomach, not quite face-down. There was no way he was going to let Jackal see how much that actually bothered him.

"You were leaving me first."

"What?"

"You decided not to continue at Rikkai, remember? You said you were going to go to some prestigious school I can't remember the name of right now."

"TeiOh. And I said I might go there. I'm a genius, after all. I want to go to a good school. And anyway, that's not leaving you. We'd still be living near each other."

"We wouldn't be able to play tennis together."

"True."

Both quieted, falling into very active private thoughts. Marui couldn't contemplate life without Jackal and had no intention of trying to. "Summer break ends in two days."

"Mm. Second term. College entrance exams."

"If we went to Rikkai those would only be a formality."

"Mm. If we went to Rikkai..."

Marui didn't let Jackal's statement trail into silence. "I'm going to spend the next 48 hours with you so that when school starts again, you'll be sick of me."

"I couldn't be sick of you."

This time Marui did lay his face in the mattress. The comforter smelled like Jackal. The soap he liked best. The laundry detergent his mom washed his clothes with. It was a comforting smell; the smell of "familiar".

"Bunta..."

Bunta?! Since when did Jackal call him by his given name? He sat up and looked at his doubles partner, who looked as miserable as he felt. This was not how he wanted to end his summer break. It had been fun, like it should've been. It shouldn't be all depressing and heavy now. He had less than a year... and he could spend it being miserable or he could make Jackal laugh, lighten the mood, and sweep everything under the rug... or... He was going to lose Jackal. Now or in a number of months didn't really matter. And since when did Marui Bunta play it safe? "Does that mean I get to call you Kuwahara?" Jackal looked up at him. Good. He wanted Jackal's attention for this. He needed Jackal to understand that this was a deliberate action. He watched Jackal as he scooted closer, as he leaned in, and couldn't watch any more when he pressed his lips to Jackal's. It was surprising how easy it was and how right it felt, but not nearly as surprising as feeling Jackal lean into him. Marui felt light, like his insides might evaporate and all that would be left was floppy, formless skin. He'd kissed a couple of girls in middle school, but nothing had ever compared to this simple close-mouthed kiss. It was a long time - or it seemed like a long time - before he found the willpower to sit back. He could feel that his eyes were wide, but that was okay because Jackal's were too. It hadn't even been an involved kiss, but it seemed like they were both a little short of breath. "Is this why things never worked out with all those girls you dated?" It was a careless comment meant to inject a little humor. Jackal's slow nod was unexpected. "Oh." Very eloquent. Marui didn't quite know what to say. Jackal hadn't been able to keep a girlfriend for more than a week since... the beginning of high school. "What a waste of all these years! Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

Jackal tried not to look the strange combination of offended and sheepish that he did and lifted his chin, "You didn't."

"True."

"Besides, I wasn't really ready to deal with it. I'm still not sure how I feel about it."

"It being me?"

"It being how I feel about you."

"Oh. It took me awhile to get over it."

"Your family isn't Catholic."

"Only half of your family is Catholic."

"So... I'm half okay with it? Maybe."

"I bet it's something that'll be more okay the more you do it."

"Meaning?" Jackal's look was suspicious.

"We could try kissing again," Marui said it like he was just tossing an idea out, trying desperately to hide how much he wanted it.

Jackal was quiet, looking at him intently, gray eyes unwavering. Marui stood his ground and did his best not to fidget. "You're nervous," Jackal said after a long pause.

"Of course I'm nervous! Who wouldn't be?"

"It's okay, then."

"What?"

"I feel better knowing I'm not the only nervous one."

"You're so lame. Kiss me again. You have more experience at this than I do."

He did. And they took more time this go around. No gaping mouths or ravaging tongues, but softness and gentle breaths and a sweetness that made Marui's fingers tingle. He didn't bother leaving his eyes open. He just let himself feel Jackal's body heat, the gentle roughness of the hand on his arm, the tender brushes of Jackal's lips against his. This time he didn't care if his breathing was erratic. When Jackal pulled back, Marui leaned against the wall. It might have been either of them, and Marui would like to have blamed Jackal, but he was pretty sure it was his own hand that found Jackal's and curled their fingers together.

"Our parents are going to have a fit." It was the honest truth - one of those realizations in the aftermath.

Jackal just chuckled. "My parents don't have room to talk. Both sets of my grandparents were furious when they found out that my parents wanted to get married."

"But they did it anyway."

"Mm." Jackal looked away from Marui, not that there was anything particularly interesting about the bookshelf he seemed to be staring at. "Even if I do go to university in Brazil... that doesn't mean I'm going to stay there."

"Oh," Marui felt his smile start deep in his chest. "I'm going to hold you to that."