(no subject)

[ma_sa_ha_ru]

Who: Niou and Marui
What: PG(-13)
When: Tanabata
Why: ...Tanabata!

Niou whistled as he wandered down the hallway, absently fanning himself with the paper fan that he had in his hand. His geta would have made a lot of noise if it weren't for the fact that the halls were carpeted. He came to a stop outside of Marui's door and raised a hand to rap sharply on it. It was weird of him to think so highly of this day, right? Especially given the fact that he had to promise to buy Marui food in order to get him to agree. That certainly wasn't the most reassuring yes he had ever gotten.

"Wait up," Marui called out, tying the sash around his yukata before walking to the door, barefoot. One hand carried his geta, the other opened the door. "Hey," he greeted, smiling. Marui was a little excited. There was going to be a lot of food at the festival, and Niou promised he'd get him some. Marui was hoping he could mooch of a little extra. He probably could.

Niou had to step back for a second in order to take Marui in before he moved closer again. He dipped his head down and placed a soft kiss to Marui's cheek before he could duck away from him. "Hey, yourself. I've got a pretty hefty chunk of change with me. I figured you'd make me broke before the first of the fireworks even gets set off." Niou grinned and stepped away from the door so Marui could join him out in the hallway.

Marui absently rubbed at his cheek, on the spot Niou had kissed him on. "Che," he said, locking the door behind him and followed Niou out. "We'll see about that." He was actually aiming for getting Niou broke after the first three or so food stalls. It all depended on what kind of delicious things the festival had. He swung his geta in his hands as they walked. He could wear them later, when they were out of the dorms.

With a laugh, Niou draped an arm around Marui's shoulders and led him out of the dorm building and down toward the noise and life of the festival. It was certainly nice to see faces other than those they saw day in and day out at the camp, though Niou still saw plenty of those faces, as well. In fact, he was pretty sure he saw Seigaku's Tezuka and Echizen at one of the booths buying food. "Which one do you want to hit up first?"

So, with Niou's arm around him like that, Marui sort of forgot about his geta. He didn't really mind walking barefoot for a while. "Mmm," Marui thought, "I want dango. And those grilled things." He sniffed at the air. He could definitely smell grilled food. It made his stomach growl. "I think they're over there..." Marui began to wander off in the direction of the grilled food.

"You know," Niou muttered as he followed behind Marui, "you're going to have a hard time carrying your food AND your shoes at the same time." He grinned and leaned into the booth to order some food (for himself, as well; he ate, too). Niou fished the money out of his sleeve and paid before he took the two baskets of food and looked around. "One more booth, then we sit and eat."

"So?" Marui shrugged. "You could just carry 'em." He grinned at Niou. "Takoyaki next. And cotton candy." You always had to have takoyaki and cotton candy at festivals. He grabbed Niou by the elbow and led him to the next food stall, following his nose. "And don't forget that red bean cake you promised!" Marui liked cakes. His biggest weakness, really.

"I'm not carrying everything, you know. I'm not a pack mule. I'm just your sugar daddy, apparently." Niou shook his head and put the baskets down on the counter of the next stall as he got the food there. "And we'll get the cake when you're done with the rest of this. Find somewhere to sit."

Marui wrinkled his nose and put his geta on. "Fine, fine," he said. He took the food baskets Niou was carrying earlier and looked for someplace to sit. "Oh," Marui turned around, "Don't forget to get drinks!" And then off he went to look for an empty bench to sit on.

The man behind the booth grinned a very knowing, smarmy grin and Niou rolled his eyes skyward as he took the food and headed for another booth to get a couple drinks. Carefully he juggled everything as he made his way through the crowd to find where Marui had disappeared to and, when he finally found him, he sat down and put everything on the seat between them. "There."

"Finally," Marui huffed. "I thought you ran off somewhere and left me here. It takes a lot of patience and self control not to eat these without you, you know!" He pouted, knowing that Niou could do that. "But now that you're here... Itadakima~su!" He swiped some takoyaki and had those first. "Mmm, this is so good~! Feels like heaven!"

Niou made sure to pick out a few things and put them in their own little basket before he pulled them closer to himself, just so he knew he had food. Plus, this way, his fingers wouldn't accidentally get in the way of Marui's eating. "You try maneuvering your way through this crowd without spilling anything and see how long it takes you to get around." He shook his head and got to work on a piece of skewered chicken.

Marui took some of the grilled squid-- a staple in summer festivals-- and shook his head. "Now, now. Don't complain, or you'll ruin the food," he said, attacking the squid. Thank god the bench he found had a back rest or else he'd have toppled over when he leaned back. "Mm, best squid ever. This is the best day of my life," Marui said, enjoying the food Niou bought. Free food was always the best.

"Well," Niou intoned as he took a sip from his drink, "at least I know I never have to worry about not seeing your orgasm face ever." His lips twitched upward into a crooked grin, and he reached down to take one of the takoyaki to eat. Innocently, he cast his eyes across the crowd, wondering what other familiar faces were intermingled there.

Glaring at Niou, Marui's cheeks were red. "Idiot," he hissed. "Don't say things like that!" He was tempted to throw something at Niou, but there was only food around him, and that would have been a great waste. Marui finished with his squid and went for the chicken next, taking his frustrations on the poor piece of chicken leg.

Niou started snickering quietly as he ate his food, the grin still firmly in place. He couldn't help himself, really, especially given the fact it was true. Niou definitely figured that to be Marui's o-face. He finished off what he wanted and wiped off his hands before he stood up. "I'll be back in a minute." Niou wandered off into the crowd, dumping the garbage in a pail as he went.

Marui scowled after Niou left and made quick work of the remaining food. First the rest of the takoyaki, and then the other half of the grilled corn, and the rest was in Marui's stomach. It was a miracle he didn't choke on his food. He finished his drink and gnawed on the straw while he waited for Niou to come back. It was over a minute, Marui was sure.

Niou returned as quickly as he could, something behind his back. He grinned down at Marui and tipped his head to the side as he surveyed the damage of leftover food carriers. Obviously if Niou wanted this to work out between them, he was going to have to get a part time job to make enough money to keep the redhead well fed. "Pick a hand."

Marui put down the empty cup on the pile of empty food containers. He looked up at Niou and then to either side of him. Hm. This was a tough choice. "Both?" He asked. Niou didn't say he was allowed to pick only one, after all.

"Nuh uh. A hand. As in one. Singular." Niou grinned and shifted on his feet a bit. He had to toss his head in order to get a stray piece of hair out of his eye. "I'm not letting you pick both. That's cheating. Sneaky thinking, though."

"Che," Marui pouted. "Left, then." It was Niou's good hand. Marui figured, if he was holding something nice, it would be on the left hand. But then again, with Niou, you can't really be sure, so the best thing to hope for was that he was holding two of the same item. Because if Marui didn't pick the better of the two, he would sulk. And try asking for half of the other.

Niou laughed and finally presented Marui with a red bean bun, a grin on his face. "There you go." He sat back down on the bench again and produced what was in his other hand: another bun. Niou winked at Marui again and lifted the bun in order to take a nice bite out of it with a happy noise in the back of his throat.

Marui couldn't hide his grin. The red bean bun smelled so nice and sweet in his hand, he wasn't quite sure how to eat it-- slow and savor the flavor, or quickly so he could ask for half of Niou's. He went with savoring the red bean bun. "Thanks," he told Niou, grin still on his face, before biting into the bun.

"Anything for my favorite redhead." Niou returned the grin and continued eating the bun until he was down to the last bite, which he popped into his mouth with a happy sound. At least he had been able to eat his own food this time without Marui puppy dog eye-ing half of his meal away.

"Anything?" Marui looked up, stuffing the rest of the bun in his mouth. He chewed and swallowed and licked his lips before continuing. "You really mean anything?" He asked again, leaning closer to Niou, maybe even shoving off a few cardboard containers off the bench in the process.

Niou slid an arm around Marui's waist and leaned down closer to him, a smile on his face. "Anything. Except go broke. I have other things to spend my money on today besides on food." He winked and pressed his lips to Marui's temple quickly before he pulled completely away again in order to stand with a stretch.

Marui frowned. He wanted another red bean bun, damnit. One is never enough! He'd have to think of another way to get Niou to buy him another one. "Whatcha planning on spending anyway? There's nothing interesting around here 'cept the food," Marui said, shrugging. He stood up and brushed crumbs off his yukata, and got some gum from the packet he hid in his sleeves.

"Trinkets. Access to the rides. Games. Though, I love nothing more than tricking a few booths out of a prize or two." Niou grinned sharply at that and draped an arm over Marui's shoulders again, trying to look more companionable than anything so the redhead would elbow him in the side or something.

"That's boring," Marui said. Though he did want to try a few games. He'd always wanted those festival goldfish, with the popped out eyes. He remembered catching three for him and his brothers, but by the time they got home from the festival, his brothers somehow ended up killing them. And Marui didn't mind Niou's arm around his shoulders so much. He was too busy getting the sugar out of the gum he was chewing.

"Not so boring when you dupe your way into free things." Niou stopped at a game booth, one where you had to knock over a stack of bottles, and rubbed his chin as he watched a couple people try and fail at the game. Niou hefted the ball in his hand and eyed the bottles before he waved the man running the game down. "Hey. Hey~. Guy. You. Yeah, the one milking money out of people. Can I take a look at one of the bottles?"

Marui blew a bubble and rolled his eyes. Typical Niou, trying to trick everyone. It worked most of the time, though, and most of the time, he didn't get in trouble. Marui didn't even ask what he was going to do now-- Niou just told him. So Marui popped his bubble and blew another one and grinned as he watched what Niou was going to do next.

The man handed Niou a bottle, more than a little weary, and he took it from him with interest, glad to see the small crowd that had started to gather. Without missing a beat, he slid a few pebbles into it that he had picked up without notice and shook it. Niou frowned a little and handed the bottle back toward the man. "What kind of operation are you running here, guy?"

Minutes of negotiation later, and promises to not return, Niou wandered away from the booth loaded with stuffed animals and a grin of satisfaction on his face.

"You're such a bastard," Marui said, snickering and shaking his head. He plucked one of the stuffed animals from Niou and held on to it. He waited until they were away from the booth before speaking up again. "That guy looked so pale I thought he was gonna faint. Did he really rig the games? Or was that just you?"

"Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. The world will never know." Niou grinned and started to hand stuffed animals to children as he passed by, secretly glad to see them brighten up. He finally emptied his hands and removed the fan from his obi where he had stashed it in order to start waving it on himself again.

Marui didn't want to let go of the weird looking stuffed bird he took from Niou, but who can really resist wide eyed kids? Besides, he was sure Niou could always get more later, and he'd be there to pester him about it. "Oh come on, tell me," Marui said, shooing off the kids around Niou.

Niou tapped his chin thoughtfully and came to a stop before he glanced over toward Marui with a bit of a grin. "I'll tell you for a kiss." Hey, if he was going to be divulging trade secrets, then he wanted to get something out of it. And if Marui wanted to know badly enough, then he'd go with it.

"Fine," Marui said, and then caught himself. "I mean no! Geez, no way." He pouted. Did everything have to be a kiss with this guy? Besides, if Niou kissed him, a lot of people would see and that's just embarrassing.

"You said yes first." Niou smiled and stepped in toward Marui, his hand going around the redhead's waist. He tipped Marui's chin up and leaned down to place a kiss at just the corner of Marui's mouth before he stood straight again. "I dropped some pebbles into the bottom of the bottle."

Squeaking, Marui stepped back and away from Niou, covering his mouth and his eyes wide, looking around if anyone saw. "Don't do that again," Marui hissed at Niou, cheeks pink in embarrassment. At this point really, he didn't care if Niou cheated the man out of a few stuffed animals. He just didn't want any more public displays of whatever it was Niou did.

Niou grinned and slid his arm back around Marui's shoulders. "You'll have to give me some sort of incentive, you know." He took off again through the line of game booths, his eyes going from one to another, though he finally came to a stop beside the goldfish game. Damnit, he never could resist the draw of those stupid little, easily dead fish. "Oh, hell." Niou sighed and approached, watching the kids scoop for the little fish.

Marui would never be able to understand Niou. One minute he was hanging all over him, the next second he wanders off to god knows where. "At least wait for me, you jerk!" Marui called after him, trying to get through the crowd. It was hard being short, even on geta, and trying to avoid a huge sea of people. He was able to catch up to Niou, though, all pouty and pissy, and stood behind him, arms crossed, as Niou watched little kids try and win some of the goldfish.

By the time Marui had reached him, Niou had a bag of about five swimming goldfish. He stood up from the crouched position he had been in and he held them up for Marui with a grin. "Whaddya think? Cute, right?" Niou snickered quietly and gave Marui a little wink. "Not nearly as cute as you, though, I gotta say. They lack your flair."

Marui took the bag from Niou and watched the fish swim around. "Cute, yeah," Marui echoed, just watching the fish in the clear bag with a lopsided grin. They were cute, especially the odd black fish with the weird eyes. "Not as what?" He looked up at Niou, blinking, not catching everything he said.

"Not as cute as you." Niou smiled slightly and shook his head before he reached up a hand to rake his fingers through Marui's hair. "You're so ADD sometimes, I swear. Though I guess I am, too, so it works out in the end." He dropped his hands away from Marui, not willing to go too PDA in front of a bunch of kids who would undoubtedly go back to their moms and talk about the two boys they saw kissing. He did, however, wrap an arm around Marui's waist as he guided him back through the crowd.

"Oh, shut up," Marui said, letting Niou take him away from the stall. He wanted to elbow him in the gut, but he was afraid any sudden movement might hurt the poor fishies in the clear plastic bag. Besides, he suspected Niou only said those things so he could steal kisses. Like hell Marui would let him. "Where are you taking me now?"

"There." Niou pointed in the direction of the Ferris wheel and he tried not to snicker at all. "I wanna see what it looks like around here. I mean, we've been holed up in the actual camp long enough, right? Don't even know our surroundings." And okay, so that would mean he'd get to be alone with Marui for a little bit. And it was kind of getting dark out, so seeing everything would be hard anyway, but that was all trivial.

"The Ferris wheel, huh," Marui looked on, holding on to the bag of fishes and making sure no one bumped into it or poked holes on it and killed the goldfish. "Yeah, okay, looks good enough." Marui shrugged. It was a pretty harmless ride anyway, and nothing could go wrong. At least, so Marui hoped.

Thankfully, it looked like the line was starting to dwindle bit by bit as people went to stake out good spots to view the fireworks. Niou tucked his fan back into his obi as they slowly advanced in the line. He kept his arm around Marui, though, and he absently toyed with the other boy's sleeve, poking his hand inside the hole at the back of it. "Hiding anything in here?"

Marui irritably tugged at his sleeve so Niou would stop poking his hand through it. The fish didn't appreciate being jostled around. "Stop that," he said, pouting. "I'm not hiding anything in there. My gum's on the other sleeve, and if you don't stop I'm going to kick you." He wondered where the people were. Wasn't the Ferris wheel some sort of main attraction during festivals? He really didn't pay attention, though. All Marui liked about festivals were the food. And maybe some of the games.

Niou finally pulled his hand away from Marui's sleeve and left it resting on his waist instead. When they finally approached the front of the line, Niou handed over the appropriate amount of money before he stepped up toward the car, ushering Marui in front of him before he climbed in himself and sat beside the other boy. He placed an arm along the back of the seat before he reached up with the other hand to pull the bar down across the two of them, and slowly they started to go up.

Marui couldn't appreciate the Ferris wheel so much. It was big, and moved slow, and Niou was sitting too close to him, but he couldn't do anything about it because the seats weren't that big. He sighed and just let things be for once. Not like Niou could do anything dangerous to him, and he really didn't want to push someone off a carnival ride and be arrested for murder. He was too young for that. "You have terrible timing," Marui said, peering into the distance. "How the hell can you see the town from up here, it's too dark out."

A soft laugh left Niou and he angled his body a little in the seat in order to, even if it was just a tiny bit, face Marui better. He leaned his head in toward the redhead's ear and said in a low voice, "I really wasn't interested in seeing the town after all. I have something a lot nicer to look at sitting right here." Niou darted his tongue out of his mouth and ran it along the edge of Marui's ear with a smirk. Some fireworks went off a little ways away, and he turned his head to look back toward them with a slight frown. "They're a little early, aren't they?"

Marui gasped and squeaked, almost dropping the bag of goldfishes, and turned his head away from Niou. He could feel goose bumps crawl up his back and arm to his ear. He was going to tell Niou off when the fireworks went off, surprising Marui. This time, at least, he was holding the goldfish bag tight and didn't drop them. He used this chance to inch away from Niou. "M-maybe they changed the schedule?"

Well, there was no harm in taking advantage of the situation. "Well, if they're going off, then they're going off, eh?" Niou brought up a hand to take a hold of Marui's chin in order to turn the other boy's face back toward him. "Guess I oughta be traditional about this." With a smile, Niou leaned in and covered Marui's mouth with his own, his head tipped for a better angle.

The kiss took Marui by surprise, and his reflexes took over-- first of which was to jump away. But there really wasn't room enough for Marui to move away anymore and when he did try, he managed to shake their car a little, making him nervous and cling onto Niou-- which was the exact opposite of what he wanted at the moment. It was weird, especially his train of thought--Oh god he's kissing me, oh god the fish, oh god he's kissing me, oh god this thing is gonna fall a hundred feet down-- and the way he wanted to just hold on to Niou like this and not let go. Maybe it was because he was just scared of falling off the car on the Ferris wheel, maybe it was something entirely different. Marui couldn't explain it.

Niou liked the clinging. Niou kind of liked the clinging a lot. He slipped his other arm around Marui and placed his hand flat against Marui's back as he took that opportunity to deepen the kiss. The fireworks weren't going off at regular enough intervals to be the official show, and Niou couldn't help but think Kirihara had somehow managed to get his hands on some, but right now he couldn't concern himself with that. What was important was that Marui was holding on to him and they were kissing.

There was a strange, fluttery feel to Niou's kisses. Marui always felt that way, and it made him want to just... stop whatever else he was doing. It scared him a little, because he wanted to kiss Niou back, and that was wrong, right? Marui let out a small noise and held on Niou's yukata a little tighter, eyes closed and his head tilting back a little as he leaned in close. And aside from the fireworks, Marui could hear his heart pounding madly in his ears.

Whatever was going on in Marui's head that kept him clinging to Niou like that he was a-okay with. He sighed softly and opened his mouth to let his tongue snake out and slide along Marui's lips in his silent request for entry. He knew it was a good idea to get Marui on the Ferris wheel, and it certainly was shaping up to be the best idea he had had so far that day.

Marui pulled away from him the instant he felt Niou's tongue along his lips. Silently, he stared up at Niou, wide eyed and lips pursed, and still holding on his yukata. There was a blush on his cheeks and the tips of his ears were as red as his hair. He had a lump in his throat and Marui had no idea what he should be doing now. He couldn't even bring himself to panic.

Niou sat back a little, a faint smile on his face. Alright, none of that yet. But still, he was getting somewhere. He tipped his head to the side and absently peeled one of Marui's hands from his yukata in order to lift it to his mouth and kiss the fingertips. "You kissed me back," he muttered quietly, the fireworks reflected in his eyes.

Marui couldn't find the right words to say, so he looked away, his other hand releasing Niou's yukata and moving to his lap. Niou's lips on his fingers made him blush even more, but not as much as his words did. Because he did kiss him back, Marui was aware that he did. So he just kept quiet about it, pretending not to hear Niou.

"I knew you liked it when I kiss you." Niou moved his lips down to kiss the palm before he finally looked up at Marui. "The only thing I can't understand is why you keep pretending that you don't. It'd be so much easier if you just learned to accept it." He sighed quietly and finally released Marui's hand, looking around now as the Ferris wheel stopped, their car about three-fourths of the way through its revolution.

"Easy for you to say," Marui pouted, leaning back in their car. He held the goldfish bag closer-- thankfully he didn't let go of it. He hoped the Ferris wheel didn't stop like this for too long. "You're not the one being assaulted with kisses." He didn't mean to sound so angry and mean, really, but that's how it came out. Marui was too stubborn to correct himself, though.

"Maybe not," Niou said, his eyes and body facing forward now. He leaned against the bar, his arms draped over the edge, and he stared down now at the ground. "But I sure as hell wouldn't mind being the one assaulted with kisses." He turned his head to the side to look back at Marui. "Seriously. Any time you get the urge. Don't hesitate. I won't push you away. That'd be the last thing on my mind."

Marui grabbed Niou by his sleeve and pulled him up from his position. "Idiot, don't lean over like that! You're going to make this thing tip forward and make us fall out!" Marui held on to Niou, both arms keeping him from leaning forward again and scaring him. "Idiot," he stressed, not letting go of Niou, slightly trembling. "I didn't mean it like that," he said, this time much quieter. "Can't you slow down a bit? I can't keep up with you sometimes."

Niou tried not to chuckle quietly as he was pulled back, and he put an arm along the back of the seat again. "Not really. I can't help myself. I look at you, and I want to kiss you. Actually, I wanna do more than just kiss you. So in the end, I guess I really am slowing down." He smiled and moved his arm from the back of the car to rest it along Marui's shoulders. "But...fine. I guess I'll...try to stop randomly attacking you with my lips. Try being the operative word."

"Good," Marui said, still not letting go of Niou. He took a deep breath and leaned against him. "An' I promise to try to tolerate you kissing me," he added, face buried in Niou's shoulder. Marui wondered what exactly Niou meant by wanting to do more than just kiss him, but he didn't want to ask. He could ask that later. After a few months, perhaps. If Niou would still be interested in him in the future, of course.

The Ferris wheel started to turn again, and Niou mourned the fact that the ride was soon going to be over. He bent the arm he had around Marui's shoulders and ran his fingers through that lovely red hair before he leaned down to murmur quietly, "Don't worry. We're not gonna fall out. In fact, the ride's almost over."

Marui nodded. The Ferris wheel really wasn't such a bad ride. It was just a little boring as it was, and dangerous once the car you were in started to move around and threaten to throw you out. He hated it and wanted to get off. Except, he kind of liked the ride right now, with Niou so close to him and his hand on his hair and-- Marui pursed his lips again and tried to think of something else. Like the fish. They needed a new home.

When their car came to the bottom, the ride stopped and Niou lifted the bar away. He climbed out first and reached forward to take Marui's hand in his to help him out. Except, once Marui was out, Niou didn't take his hand away. In fact, he left it right where it was. Niou moved away from the Ferris wheel with Marui in tow and pointed at a shooting game. "How about I win you something, eh? A memento in case the fish die."

"The fish aren't gonna die!" Marui protested, frowning at Niou. How could he think that? The jerk. And Marui thought he was a nice guy. Geez. But he didn't mind walking around holding Niou's hand. It kind of made him feel safe after being suspended in a Ferris wheel car some twenty feet in the air. "But I'm not gonna complain if you get me something nice."

"I said in case, not that they were going to sometime soon. I'm being practical here." Niou wandered with Marui over to the shooting booth and he took a seat in the chair behind one of the guns, his hand releasing Marui's. He glanced over the stuffed animals that hung over their heads and found one that looked a lot like the weird bird Marui had grabbed from him earlier, only bigger. With a grin, he placed some money on the counter and nodded at the man. "Just gotta shoot out the target, right?"

Marui stood behind Niou. There was a row of shooting games, but it looked like this booth had the nicer prizes. And it had moving targets. Maybe that was why the prizes were better. Bigger, too. Like that big, weird bird thing. Marui tried figuring out what it was supposed to be, but he couldn't figure it out. It was a pretty cool-looking thing though. "Win me something cool," Marui said with a grin.

"Not a problem." Niou returned the grin and settled in behind the gun, his eyes flitting along the sight. The harder targets in the back would be worth more, and if he got the five of them he'd be able to get that bird in his first go. Thankfully, his eyesight was a gift, so shooting them wasn't going to be an issue at all. One, two, three, four, five, and they were all down for the count. The man stared at Niou in disbelief as the trickster grinned and pointed at the bird. Once he had it in his hands, Niou turned and handed it over to Marui. "He's all yours."

"Thanks," Marui said, still grinning. He didn't think Niou would get five of those targets straight-- it looked hard, even for a genius like him. And he didn't even ask how Niou figured what he wanted. He made it too obvious. Marui hugged the bird in one arm, and his free hand held the fish. "So. Um..." Marui kicked at the ground, feeling a little silly now. He looked around the festival. "Where to, next?"

"No problem." Niou returned the grin with a smile of his own and he wound an arm around Marui's waist again, since his hands were a little full. "Well, it looks like everyone's heading to go stake out a spot at the fireworks. We should probably go do that, too." There was a hill that looked like everyone was migrating to, and Niou knew he definitely didn't want to go where everyone else was going. So instead he looked around, trying to spot somewhere else. "You know, I think there was this area on the way here from the camp that looked like it'd be a good spot. How 'bout there?"

Shrugging, Marui said, "Yeah, okay. Can we get something to eat on the way?" He didn't mind as long as he could get a few more sweets. "But I thought they went off earlier...?" Marui tipped his head to the side. He did remember the fireworks going off when they were on the Ferris wheel. It was the reason Niou kissed him and... the other things that happened on there. It must've been something else, though.

"They did, but those weren't the official fireworks. I'm willing to bet a thousand yen that it was Akaya." Niou shook his head and walked with Marui back through the booths with all of the food, and he stopped off at the one selling the red bean buns. He bought two more and rejoined Marui again as they headed away from the festival and toward the spot that he had mentioned. "Damn, but you're gonna run me broke..."

"No thanks. I don't wanna waste money on that brat," Marui said; he was still irritated at Akaya, though by now, the real reason why was forgotten. He eyed the red bean buns and wanted to have one now, but his hands were full. Niou better not eat them both. "At least you didn't lose all your money before the fireworks," Marui said, reminding Niou about what he'd said earlier. He looked around at the path they were taking. Everyone seemed to be going the other way. "So... you sure this is the right way? We're gonna see the fireworks from here? Doesn't seem like anyone's going this way..."

"Damn. And I was hoping to win some of my money back from today, too." Niou grinned and continued up the path, nodding at the question. "Yeah. They're fireworks, y'know? As long as there's no tree in our face, we'll be able to see 'em. Ah, here it is." Niou turned off the path and over to a small clearing where it looked like there used to be a bunch of bushes. He looked up and nodded as the trees didn't obstruct the view much at all and he took a seat. "This'll be a good spot."

Marui wasn't so sure about this idea now, but at least he was getting another red bean bun, and if Niou did something embarrassing, there would be no one around to see them. He sat down next to Niou, placed the stuffed bird in front of him and the goldfish on his lap. After a while of consideration, he leaned in and rested his head on Niou's shoulder. "How long do you think until the actual fireworks show starts?" Marui asked, staring at the sky in the distance.

The fact that Marui was leaning against him of his own volition made Niou blink for a second before he finally just smiled and handed over one of the buns. "It shouldn't be too long from now. It looked like the main strip of the festival was getting pretty empty." Niou ate his own bun in silence, just enjoying the warmth of Marui's body against his own. The sweet treat went down as easily as the last one, and when it was gone Niou slid his arm around Marui's body and held him there, his eyes skyward. "I've got an idea for a more comfortable position, though, so we don't strain our necks."

Marui bit in the bun as soon as he had his hands on it. It was too delicious to not be eaten, and Marui was in absolute bliss. He wanted more, but he doubted the stall Niou got them would be open after the fireworks. The red bean bun was gone faster than the last one, Marui couldn't resist, and he moved closer to Niou after licking his fingers. "It's already comfy like this, what's gonna be more comfortable?" He asked, counting the fish in the bag on his lap, and making sure they were still alive and swimming around.

"Here." Niou laid back against the grass and shifted so he was comfortable before he tugged Marui down with him. He laid the redhead in the crook of his arm, Marui's head on his shoulder, and Niou kept his arm around him. "There, see? Now we don't have to be constantly looking up and make our necks hurt. We can just lay here and be comfortable. It's kind of like cheating."

"And you like cheating, dontcha?" Marui grinned. Okay, so this was a comfortable position. A really comfy one. And... They'd really be able to see the fireworks like this. And Niou was nice and warm and comfy. So Marui was okay with it. But he was impatient. "How long until the show again?" He asked, moving closer against Niou, his head on Niou's chest now.

"Sometimes." Niou chuckled quietly and brought a hand up to absently toy with Marui's hair once the other boy was settled on his chest. "Any minute now," he said, his fingers raking lazily through bright red strands of hair. Niou was starting to drift off when the first of the fireworks went off over their heads and he opened his eyes again. "There, see? There they go."

The fireworks caught Marui's attention and he was glad to be able to see them from this distance. They could see everything from where they were lying down, and he didn't have to keep turning his head to see which one went off where. "That one's pretty. That one, too," Marui pointed at an explosion of bright blue and yellow sparks, and then at the big red and gold one. There was just something nice and mesmerizing about fireworks.

Personally, Niou found the more mesmerizing thing to be Marui's hair and the way it felt under his fingers, but he was also perfectly content to get caught up in the fireworks. "I like the ones that take on shapes," he finally chimed in, and he lifted his free arm to point as one went off that looked like a large star in the sky, the backdrop of the real stars appearing trapped inside it.. "Like that one."

"Yeah, they're good," Marui said, and then laughed when he found one that looked like one of those hyottoko masks. "Kinda silly, too." His smile stuck as he watched the fireworks show go on, bright flashes of light exploding in the sky. It really was pretty to watch, especially lying down like this. And then Marui was all too aware of Niou, that he was lying down on him, and he could feel the rise and fall of his chest and hear his heart beating faintly... "Hey, Niou...?" Marui pushed himself up, arms supporting him, and looked at Niou, with a somewhat serious expression on his face.

Niou had had his arm draped loosely across Marui's stomach as they laid there, and it only fell away again when Marui started to move. He moved his other hand away from Marui's head and placed it under his own, using it as a cushion against the grass. Niou gazed up at Marui for a moment before he finally raised a questioning eyebrow. "What is it?"

Marui stared at him for a moment before smiling. "Mm, nothing," Marui said, shaking his head. He crawled up and snuggled closer, lying down over Niou, chest on his. "It's just... I was thinking..." Or, he wasn't thinking. It was more of doing something he didn't really want to think about because he knows if he did, he'd never be able to do it. He could blame the fireworks later. Marui looked up at Niou one last time before leaning in close. And then he kissed Niou.

Niou stared up at Marui, his eyebrow still raised, but it lowered immediately when Marui's lips closed over his own. He brought a hand up and placed it at the back of Marui's head as he tipped his own to get at a better angle. Niou pressed up toward Marui and kissed him slowly, wishing to draw out the voluntary kiss for as long as he possibly could. There was something incredibly cliché and cheesy about the moment, but frankly, Niou couldn't give a damn.

So. Kissing really wasn't that bad. At least not as bad as he thought it would be considering it was Niou he was kissing. Marui used to think it was weird and awful and gross-- because it was Niou, and you really couldn't tell when it came to Niou. But it wasn't weird, or awful, or gross. It was... not bad. And not bad was alright. Marui pressed forward into the kiss, crawling on top of Niou for a better, more comfortable position.

The shifting certainly was different, and Niou didn't at all mind Marui climbing all over him like that. He slid his hands down and rested them on Marui's waist as he once more flicked his tongue across Marui's lips. Maybe this time, since Niou wasn't the one to instigate the kiss, Marui would be a little more open to a little invasion. Niou certainly hoped so, anyway.

And Marui did part his lips. At first, he hesitated, not entirely sure he was ready for something like this. But he was already kissing Niou, so he figured it wouldn't hurt to do a little more. So he let Niou's tongue in his mouth, and Marui felt every bone in his body melt.

Niou slid his tongue into Marui's mouth and slowly explored. Overhead, the fireworks had been quiet for a few minutes now, but Niou didn't even notice. Not when he had a sexy little redhead sprawled out on top of him, kissing him like this. Niou made a noise in the back of his throat and his hand twitched with the very overwhelming desire to slide over Marui's ass. It probably would have, too, if Marui didn't have a knee so very close to his crotch.

Marui could have sworn he'd been kissing Niou for an eternity. It felt that way, and yet he didn't want to pull away. He let the kiss go on, let Niou take control. Marui's hands held on the fabric of Niou's yukata once more, seeming to pull Niou closer to him. The kiss should be enough. It was more than enough, but Marui wanted it, and wanted more, and he didn't want to stop. Not yet.

He couldn't help himself anymore, not with the desperate waves that radiated off of Marui like that. They permeated all of his senses. Niou hummed quietly and slowly moved a hand downward and allowed his fingers to gently slide over the swell of Marui's ass. It was just so nice and right there for the grabbing. He couldn't help himself.

Marui whimpered in the kiss. He wanted to pull away and tell Niou off for touching his ass, but instead, he sucked on his tongue and rubbed up against Niou. Strange, the way he felt so needy right now. It was overwhelming. And yet, it was this realization that slowed Marui down, his kisses becoming less desperate, less needy, until he pulled away, breathless and eyes fixed on Niou. "I think," Marui paused to catch his breath, "I went overboard, there." He felt the blush crawl to his cheeks again, but this time? He didn't mind. Marui didn't regret kissing Niou.

Damn. Niou swallowed thickly as Marui finally pulled away from him, and he licked his pleasantly swollen lips before he finally opened his eyes. His own breaths were short and labored, and his head reeled from the absolute pleasure that wheeled around in it. He lifted a hand and absently pushed back a strand of red hair from Marui's face before he shook his head. "Not necessarily. I know I enjoyed it." Finally, though, he sat up, liking having a Marui in his lap. He glanced skyward and laughed quietly. "I think the fireworks stopped. Well, the ones in the sky, anyway."

"Mm." Marui tried to hide the smile on his face, but was unsuccessful. He put his arms around Niou and leaned in. Yeah. He didn't mind this so much anymore. The bag of goldfish was there, next to the weird looking bird plush, both of them almost forgotten. Marui was still trying to catch his breath, and he could feel his heart pounding so hard in his chest. Resting his head on Niou's shoulder, he looked up at him and tugged lightly at his rattail. "You grabbed my ass," Marui said accusingly.

Niou closed his eyes and let out a faint noise that sounded suspiciously like a low moan when Marui tugged at his rattail. Damn weak spot, anyway. He opened his eyes again and grinned down at Marui at the accusation and nodded. "You're right. I did. And a very nice ass it is, too. I'd never take my hand off of it if I could get away with it." Niou winked and turned his head down a little in order to place a kiss to Marui's neck.

"Mmn, you idiot," Marui said, lips curling to one side. "You can't do that." He shifted his position so Niou could kiss as much as he wanted. Marui twirled Niou's rattail in his fingers, and tugged at it again, trying to find out if he would get the same reaction he received when he first did it. Marui found he rather liked hearing Niou moan. "Next time, ask permission first," Marui said, biting back a laugh. He pushed the fabric of Niou's yukata to the side so he could kiss Niou's bare shoulder.

Well, then, if Marui was going to let Niou kiss his neck, Niou was going to kiss his neck. A lot. He groaned again at the tug which quickly changed into a predatory growl before he scraped his teeth along Marui's neck. The night air was cool on his shoulder, and the wind ghosting over the damp skin made it prickle a little more. Niou chuckled quietly and slid a hand down Marui's back. "Well, then, Marui, may I please grab your ass?" There was a definite grin on his face.

"Hmm," Marui paused to think about it. He wasn't so sure about the idea, although Niou's hand on his ass did kind of feel nice, in a very weird way. "Nah, you already did." He grinned at Niou, and then stuck his tongue out at him. And just because he felt like it, he wriggled on Niou's lap, and kissed him on the cheek.

"You cheeky little bastard." Niou laughed and bit down on Marui's neck before he finally pulled away. The entire evening was going to have Niou spending some time alone in his bathroom, especially with Marui wiggling like he was. He nudged Marui out of his lap (mostly because if he stayed there any longer, there could be trouble) and stood up with a stretch. "Well, I imagine that we should get back up to the camp."

"Yeah, I guess so." Marui stretched, sitting down and resisted the urge to be lazy and just flop back down on the grass. He grabbed the bird doll and the goldfish bag-- he had to look for someplace to put them when he gets back to his room-- and looked up at Niou, one arm outstretched. "Help me up?"

"Lazy ass." Niou slid his geta back on (they had fallen off) before he reached a hand down to help Marui up to his feet. Seeing as the redhead was perfectly capable of carrying both bird and fish with one arm, Niou kept his hand in Marui's free one before he gestured. "Come on, let's get going."

Marui nodded and smiled. At first, he thought the night would end horribly. Marui was glad it didn't. "Alright," he said, and squeezed Niou's hand in his.