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"The dark is a deep, mysterious, and frightful place. Here, within the vast blackness, are the utmost horrifying things the human eye can lay it's sight upon. Here, where the ugliest of emotions are born and hidden. Here, where everybody's deepest... darkest... secrets are stored away, sealed from the knowledge of strangers. The dark... where truth - "
"Niou, if you don't shut your mouth and go to sleep, I will personally throw you out and leave you to spend the rest of your evening in the trees."
The silver-haired teenager chuckled softly from amusement, turning towards his vice-captain with a wide smirk. Even though the bedroom lights were out, meaning that Sanada wouldn't even be able to see his shit-eating grin, he still did it out of habit. "Aw man, let's not get so rough now. I'm just trying to make this night more interesting, y'know, since you're so boring."
Niou could hear his mentally-older friend click his tongue distastefully.
"And if I'm so boring, why did you come to my home when you got locked out of yours doing some idiotic prank on Akaya? Honestly, you could be a little less immature and a lotmore wiser. Besides, it's not like I enjoy your presence much either."
"Yeah, but your home was closer and I'm lazy. Besides, I don't want to bother Yagyuu at this hour."
"And so you chose to bother me?"
"Yep~ you're so smart!"
"... You are the most insensitive of the insensitive."
"It's not like you're any better."
"Tch."
Then, there was silence. Niou stared up at the dark ceiling as the gears in his head began to turn.
It puzzled him too, why he chose to go to Sanada's home. In truth, Yagyuu's home was actually much closer. Yagyuu was also probably up and doing some homework. The chances that he would've allowed Niou to spend the night was pretty high as well. He just... got the urge to go to Sanada's home, and so to Sanada's home he went.
During the walk to Sanada's residence he wasn't even sure if the vice-captain would let him stay the night. As far as he knew Sanada fucking hated his guts. Of course, that wasn't the case. It seemed that Sanada really just wasn't good with words. Besides, he was here lying next to the aloof tennis player now wasn't he?
Niou turned his head again, staring at the soft outline of his vice-captain in his futon. He felt a devilish grin tug at his lips. The trickster reached over to him and poked at what he believed was his stomach.
There was a brief pause in Sanada's breaths.
"Niou... did you just poke me?"
"Nope. Must've been a ghost. 'Cause your house is like a thousand years old or somethin'."
"Niou, if you continue to bother me, I swear to grab the katana under this futon and I will make you sleep."
"You keep a katana under your futon?"
"... Doesn't everybody?"
"No... I mean, I know I'm messed up, but you're a different story, Sanada."
"Why don't they? And what is so 'messed up' about being prepared for the worst? One is most vulnerable during sleep, it'd be wise to sleep with some sort of weapon on hand just in case. I must say, the fact that no one else sleeps with a sword is just preposterous."
"That's because we're not weird old men like you, Sanada."
"... I'm honestly a little offended by that."
"Do you really think I care?"
"You're getting laps as soon as practice starts tomorrow. If you think that this night is going to be forgotten, you are very wro - "
"You're sure talkative right now, aren't ya?"
"W-Well - I - er, that's because... just be quiet and get to sleep! You're keeping me awake!"
Again, silence fell upon the tennis players. It was strangely calm now, but Niou couldn't stop his smiling. Honestly, he always had the most fun poking at the stoic teenager. Sanada was usually most likable when he wasn't constantly screaming at everyone like a stick was stuck up his - well, you get it. Not that Niou really cared in the first place. He just didn't like how bossy the freaking old man was.
But in times like these, when he wasn't on the courts wearing that god-awful cap of his, Sanada was... well, he was a little more attractive, for lack of a better word. That handsome reserved expression of his combined with his stout body gave him a mature exterior that sent strange vibes through Niou's body. It really, truly puzzled Niou... just how tangled his mind would become when he thought of Sanada.
"Niou?"
The trickster's train of thought came to a stop when he heard the vice-captain's gruff voice call his name. He took a moment to wonder if it were just a trick of his head. It couldn't have been though... it was too... clear.
"... Hn."
"Are you finally going to sleep?"
"..."
"Niou?... O-Oof! What in the name of - get off me, Niou! What are you doing?!"
One moment ago, Niou was lying perfectly still in his futon. Now, however, he was lying quite comfortably on top of his writhing vice-captain. Underneath his weight Sanada was squirming and hissing a string of curses at the trickster. Something like '1000 laps' and 'die tomorrow'.
"I'm goin' to sleep like you wanted me too. The other futon is really uncomfortable, so I thought that maybe sleeping on you would be better."
"We have the SAME EXACT FUTON."
"Do we now? Sure doesn't feel like it."
"Niou, get. Off. NOW."
"Nope~ I'm getting pretty tired, so g'night."
"NIOU."
The trickster continued to smile as he pretended to have fallen sleep on top of Sanada... who oddly gave up rather quickly. An irrational thought crossed Niou's mind for a second that maybe Sanada was holding his katana over him and proceeding to stab him senseless. But instead, he felt familiar rough hands run carefully through his silver hair.
Niou froze.
Was Sanada...? What was he...? He suddenly sat up, blinking. "Sanada... did you just... brush my hair?"
"Hm? I don't believe so. I think you're right, there must be a ghost in here. After all, it's quite old."
"Sanada, don't mess with me I am being so fucking serious right now."
"Don't worry, if you're scared, I'll protect the both of us."
Though it was dark in the room, Niou was 110% sure that Sanada was smirking like the true bastard he was. He could feel Sanada sit up as well and a second later, there was the sensation of Sanada's calloused hand on his cheek. "What's the matter Niou? Perhaps... you are scared of the dark? And you want my comfort?"
"Don't start acting so cocky just cause you caught me off-guard...!" Niou hissed, blue eyes narrowed. He could hear Sanada's soft chuckles and feel his short, hot breaths touch his lips. "... Are you angry?"
Niou froze again. Sanada was close. Really, really close. And Niou would be damned if he let Sanada one-up him now. In a moment of hasty planning and idiocy, Niou leaned forward himself, and clumsily kissed his vice-captain square on the lips.
It was awkward.
Really awkward.
"Okay, this went worse than I thought it would. I'll return to my futon, go to sleep, and we can forget that this ever happened."
Before Niou could proceed to do all that he said he would, he felt Sanada suddenly place his hands on top of his thighs, pinning him down in place. Niou jumped in surprise at the vice-captain's touch. Thank goodness it was still dark because he had literally just turned a thousand shades of red. "Sa-Sanada! What the hell do you think you're doin'?!"
"You're not getting away with that. You're so cruel, Niou, even crueler than I thought. You know how I feel about you, don't you?"
"What?! You act even gayer with Yukimura, so don't start spouting bullshit!"
"Tsk tsk, language, Niou."
"I don't give a fu - stop touching me there!"
"I apologize, I didn't realize you were actually very shy."
"Sanada, don't be a fucking asshole."
"You act as though you hate this, but you haven't tried stopping me yet."
Niou fell silent, being unable to find any words to reply to the ones said.
A few seconds later, he felt Sanada's lips on his chin, trailing soft kisses towards his lips in a little awkward pattern. Sanada was taking control, but it was like he didn't even know how to kiss, much less treat Niou a little more gentle with his huge hands crushing his thighs down.
"Sanada, you're gonna break my thigh bones if you continue to crush them with those monstrous hands of yours!"
"Oh, I apologize."
"I don't care, just try treating me like I'm somethin' special if you insist that you like me."
"... Do you think I'm lying?"
Niou couldn't reply. He had no words to say. He already knew that answer and it was...
"No. You aren't the type to carelessly lie about these things."
If the lights suddenly turned on, Niou was 110% positive that he would see Sanada smiling like an idiot. "That's a good answer, Niou."
With that said, the male leaned forward for another kiss in the dark. Again, it was clumsily executed. Niou's mouth was a little too wide open and Sanada's teeth knocked against his a little forcefully. Both teenagers pulled away humiliated that they even tried to do something so intimate without the other having proper experience. Kissing wasn't for boys who spent most of their time playing tennis.
"I'm sorry. It's dark, but if you wish not to continue, we could stop now."
"Yeah... that would be great." Niou nodded, getting off Sanada and returning to his futon. There was another moment of silence before he turned back to Sanada, smirking. "So... you admit that you like me. You like me and my wild behavior."
"Don't start thinking that I'll start allowing you to act like an idiot during practice, Niou." Sanada warned, enticing a laugh from the trickster. "Man, and I thought that maybe for once you'd stop acting like such a cranky old man."
"You are delusional, Niou." Sanada murmured. "Now we've had our fill of idiocy, so close your eyes and rest."
"Yeah, yeah... but Sanada."
"Hm?"
"You kiss like a novice."
"Then I suppose you'll just have to teach me, hm?"
"I think I should, yeah." Niou smiled as he turned to his side and closed his eyes. He wondered how the rest of the regulars would react to their strange relationship. It would've been a real plot twist if they all knew that the two were going to hook up eventually (but that was pretty unlikely).
"... Niou?"
"Sanada."
"You're still getting 1000 laps tomorrow."
"Man, what the fu - "