Not Like in the Movies for Arysthaeniru!
Title: Not Like in the Movies
Author: perkyandproud
Recipient: arysthaeniru
Rating: PG
Pairing: Marui/Jirou a little Yanagi/Inui and Fuji/Saeki
Warnings: There is adorableness here
Disclaimer: All belongs to the great Konomi-sensei!
Summary: Parades and zoos and donuts. Marui and Jirou go on a date.
Notes: I saw a couple of the prompts and the next thing I know, this happened. Hope you like it!
Dun da da dun dun, dun da da dun dun. Marui peeked around the edge of the building then quickly jerked back when he saw that his target had stopped. He held perfectly still, barely breathing, hoping that he hadn’t been spotted. Being a super spy was harder than it looked in the movies, he had to admit. Especially when dealing with a mastermind like the one he was following. Masterminds, actually. Even though he hadn’t seen the other one yet, he knew that where one was the other wasn’t far behind.
”Sugar, sugar, you’re so sweet!” his phone sang suddenly. Marui swore and fumbled it out of his pocket, flipping it open to answer it. “SHH!” he said into it, as if that would help. He knew he’d put his phone on silent, how the heck had Jirou programmed it so that his ringtone would always sound?
“Sh?” Jirou repeated, confused. “What’s going on, Bun-chan? Did I call at a bad time?” His voice drooped and Marui palmed his face with his free hand.
“It’s never a bad time to hear from you, J-chan,” Marui said, pushing off from the wall and walking away from his operation. If his cover wasn’t blown it would be a miracle, might as well cut his losses and not get in trouble with his boyfriend. “What’s up?”
“We just landed,” Jirou said with a happy noise. “At the airport. Atobe’s jet is taxiing us to the terminal now, so he said I could go ahead and call you. Did you miss me?”
Jirou had been away for the past week on a school excursion. Mind you, Marui’s class had gone to Kyoto and stared at temples for two days, but not Hyoutei, oh no. Atobe had flown the whole grade to Athens to stare at the Parthenon. Marui couldn't have cared less, but Jirou was in that class and he just knew the other boy had been eating baklava without him. “Maybe. Did you bring me anything?” Marui said, doing his best to sound disinterested.
“Yup!” Jirou answered. Marui could just see the other’s happy grin and it made him smile too. A week really was a long time to spend away from your boyfriend when you were already fighting to get to see one another as often as you could. “I got you something sweet,” Jirou added. “I think you’ll like it!”
“Most boys get silly t-shirts or statues as souvenirs,” Marui said, crossing the road and heading into the train station. “I get food.” He paused a beat, then grinned. “You’re the best, you know that, right?”
Jirou giggled into his ear. “I missed you too! Do you want to meet as soon as we get through customs and stuff?” he asked.
Marui closed his eyes and took a deep breath. What was it about that voice that made him so happy? Even though Jirou had called every day while gone, he really did want to see him in person. He pulled out his pass and headed for the platform to wait for the next train. “That sounds cool,” he said, doing his best not to sound as excited as he was. He was a genius, after all. Geniuses were awesome. Geniuses didn’t get all giddy just because their boyfriends were home from travel.
Geniuses did run for the train, however, so he did, managing to get on just before the doors closed. “I’m heading that way now,” he told Jirou. “Where do you want to meet?” he asked.
***
About an hour later, Marui walked into ‘Happy Buns,’ Jirou’s favorite bakery. He looked over to see blond hair laying on their usual table, meaning that Jirou had already arrived. He waved at the staff and walked over, sliding into the booth next to his sleeping boyfriend. “Hey there,” he said softly, petting Jirou’s hair.
“Mm, best dream ever,” came the mumbled response. Jirou lifted his head from his arms and smiled sleepily at Marui. “Am I home yet, Bun-chan?” he asked.
Leaning forward, Marui tapped his forehead against Jirou’s for a moment. “Yup. Or rather at Happy Buns with me, which is close enough,” he said. He knew he was grinning, but just then he really didn’t care.
Jirou threw his arms around Marui. “Yay!” he yelled, right into Marui’s ear, causing him to wince. “I haven’t seen you in forever, Bun-chan! Oo, your present!” He let go as fast as he’d grabbed and turned to the bag sitting next to him. “I got you baklava! Because you said you wanted some and you are awesome and therefore you should get what you wanted because I love you and love that you love me and I’m so happy to be home!” he exclaimed, putting the bag on the table and then wrapping his arms around Marui again, happy tears starting to leak from his eyes.
Marui laughed again and worked on his breathing. Whenever Jirou came home from a trip he was like this. In the year that the two had been dating Marui had managed to get used to it. There really wasn’t any other option if he wanted to continue to hang out with Jirou, after all. “Calm down, J-chan,” he said, petting Jirou’s hair again. “Calm down.” He made soothing noises and pet his boyfriend until Jirou stopped vibrating in his seat as much.
After the staff member had brought them their usual hot cocoas with extra whipped topping and plate of the daily special and the two boys had managed to polish it all off, Marui sat back with a happy sigh. “I did miss you too, you know,” he said.
“What were you doing when I called?” Jirou asked, curious. He upended his cup over his tongue to see if any drops of hot cocoa were left, but none came out. “You said, ‘shh!’ so you must have been doing something.”
“Ah, that!” Marui shook his head and pushed the empty plate away. “You know about Yanagi and Inui, right?” he asked, turning to look at Jirou. “Childhood buddies and doubles partners, data players to the extreme?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Jirou said. “They’re not very interesting, though they are good.” For Jirou, tennis was fun and while math was also fun, he didn’t want it in his tennis. “What about them?”
“I think they’re dating,” Marui said. “I’m not positive, though, because they’re, well, weird, and don’t do normal date stuff like go to cafes and share desserts or go to the arcade or even to the movies.” He shook his head. “And if they are, is Yanagi giving Inui all of Rikkai’s data in some sort of bizarre pillow talk or something? I mean, I’m a genius, I don’t want my tennis statistics to become somebody’s idea of foreplay!” He shuddered at the very thought of it.
“Ew,” Jirou agreed, making a face. “That would be gross. Do you think they really do that?” he asked.
Marui shrugged. “Like I said, I’m still gathering evidence that they’re dating. It’s been difficult, you know, because they’re masterminds. Evil masterminds,” he clarified. “Trying to follow someone who is used to following other people isn’t easy.” He sighed a little, slumping in his chair, fiddling with his spoon. “Even for a genius like me,” he said, though his heart really wasn’t in it.
“Bun-chan!” Jirou said, looking shocked. “You are a genius! You can do anything you put your mind to! Oo, let me help? Let me help?” he asked, raising his hand in the air.
Only Marui’s eyes moved as he looked over at his overly excited boyfriend. “You want to help?”
“Uh huh! I’m really good at learning other people’s secrets, you know,” Jirou said proudly. Not that he’d ever tell any of those secrets, Marui knew. It was amazing what you’d hear when people thought you were sound asleep.
Marui thought about it for a moment, then finally straightened up again. “Okay! But I’m James Bond. You can be...you can be my Q, J,” he said, smiling at Jirou. “Unless you’d prefer to be Miss Moneypenny or the dame of the week?”
“Mm, can I be all three?” Jirou asked with a suddenly sly grin. “The one you love, the one who loves you and the guy with the gadgets, all rolled into one!” Marui laughed, even as he nodded.
***
It took a couple of days for the two boys to work out their plan. Jirou had actually come up with a couple of gadgets for Marui to try, even, which both were eager to use in the field and see how they worked.
One was a little camera on a telescoping, flexible rod that attached to Marui’s smartphone, allowing him to see around corners. Marui practiced with it at home to see what his mom was making for dinner. Worked like a charm!
The other was a handheld directional mic that picked up clearly from half a block away, but looked like an ipod. You had to program it to ignore passersbys and other people between you and your target, but it too worked, although not as well as the camera. Jirou admitted that he was still working on it.
It was nice having a tech savvy boyfriend who liked to tinker with odd things and also enjoyed the fine cinematic world of British Superspies. Marui knew that for all his braggado, he was one very lucky guy to have captured Jirou’s heart. On the other hand, Jirou had captured his wristband, three of his shirts, his favorite video game, one of his socks and his comb. He still wasn’t sure why Jirou wanted only one of his socks.
Right now Marui was following his prey. They were on a train, headed into Tokyo. After changing trains once, they were now on the JR Keihin Tohoku Line. Marui slumped against the pole, glad that his prey was tall enough to be seen over the press of people. It was a Sunday, for Konomi’s sake, why were all these people on the train? He kept a close eye on the other as they pulled into yet another station, but instead of getting off, the other evil mastermind had gotten on. Marui texted Jirou to keep him in the loop; it would be bad to get a call from his boyfriend with the two so close.
Marui was not expecting Jirou to wiggle his way through the press of people and come up beside him, however. “Ah! Where did you come from?” he asked, trying to keep his voice low as he freaked out.
“I got on at the same stop as Inui-kun did,” Jirou said, a piece of pocky hanging from his lips. He offered the package to Marui. “Want some?”
“What?” Marui asked, taking a piece. “Did...did he see you?” This wasn’t part of the plan!
“Probably,” Jirou said. He nibbled on his pocky and shrugged. “I was napping against him as we waited for the train. I didn’t want him to disappear,” he explained.
Marui took the pocky out of his mouth so he didn’t break it when he facepalmed himself. “We’re supposed to be stealth, Jirou! As in, not let them know we are following them! Now what are we going to do?”
Jirou smiled, his face sunny, which always warmed Marui’s heart. “Oh, no, don’t worry. I told him I was on my way to meet you, not that I was following him. Because it is the truth. See? I’ve met you!” He pouted a little then. “Do you know what he told me? That he had all of my data. That’s not nice, you know. I’ve got lots more data that he doesn’t have, I bet!”
Tugging Jirou a little closer to give him a publicly acceptable hug, Marui shook his head. “I know you do, J-chan. He doesn’t know what he’s missing. But I do! I mean, I appreciate you and all your data.” He waggled his eyebrows in a fake-suggestive fashion. “Hey, baby, nice data,” he said, making Jirou start giggling uncontrollably.
This time when the train pulled into the station, both Inui and Yanagi got off, followed at a discrete
distance by Marui and Jirou. “Where are we?” Jirou asked, looking around.
“Ueno Station,” Marui said, furrowing his brow. “I wonder what the heck they’re doing here?”
“Oh! The zoo!” Jirou said pointing and bouncing. “Let’s go into the zoo, Bun-chan! It will be fun! They have pandas and giraffes and stuff.” He grabbed Marui’s arm and started pulling him along.
“Jirou!” Marui tried to dig his heels in, but his boyfriend was an unstoppable force when he wanted to be. Fortunately they were headed in the same direction as the others. “Looks like that’s where they’re going all right. Let’s hang back a bit so they don’t see us though, okay?” he begged. It wouldn’t do to blow their cover so soon. Maybe that was the real reason all the spies in the movies tended to work alone. Taking your boyfriend with you on a mission was dangerous!
Speaking of dangerous, was that Fuji from Seigaku? What was he doing here, Marui wondered. He put in the earpiece for the directional mike and focused it on the other boy. After a moment though, he turned the thing off and tucked it away. Jirou was vibrating too much to focus on eavesdropping. “Yes?”
“It’s Fuji-kun! What is he doing here? Did he say? Can we go say hi, Bun-chan, can we?” Jirou said, giving Marui a pleading puppy dog look.
“He’s apparently on a date with Saeki, from Rokakku,” Marui said. “You wouldn’t want to interrupt him while he’s on a date, would you?” he asked, giving Jirou a look that said no. He sighed, then brightened up a little. “Looks like we’re all going to the zoo!”
It was a strange parade that made its way to the zoo. Fuji and Saeki strolling along, chatting merrily, Yanagi and Inui following them and, bringing up the rear, Marui and Jirou. Marui didn’t know if this made them the elephants or the janitor that had to sweep up behind the elephants. He just wished he’d grabbed a snack. Breakfast was so long ago and there was a line to get into the zoo.
There was also a donut truck. Do-Na-Mi was doing brisk business, catering to the needs of the zoo going populous, giving them a quick sugar and caffeine fix with their pastries and coffee. Marui rolled his eyes at the name, but wished he could get closer. Jirou wasn’t helping.
“Bun-chan! Bun-chan! Fuji-kun just bought a donut! I bet it had wasabi in it. He’s so cool! Can I go get a donut, Bun-chan? Just like Fuji-kun?” The blond was tugging at Marui’s arm and bouncing up and down.
“Nuh uh!” Marui said. He even shook his head. “That would blow our cover, Jirou. We have to wait for them to get inside, first.” He sighed again. Once the time the first two were through the line, maybe he could send Jirou over while he waited. He was starting to think that the action scenes in the movies were far more heavily edited than he’d previously suspected.
“Why would it blow our cover?” Jirou wanted to know. “Inui-kun and Yanagi-kun are in line over there. I just want to say hi to Fuji-kun and get a donut.”
“Because,” Marui said, putting his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders, attempting to will the other calmer, “our evil masterminds, who say they are here to get data, not date, are following Fuji and Saeki, who are on a date. Why Inui wants data on Fuji’s dating habits is beyond me, but then those two data guys are just creepy that way,” he said with a shudder.
Jirou giggled. “It sounds funny when you talk about dates and data like that, Bun-chan,” he said. He leaned in and kissed Marui on the nose. “Is it really a bad thing if Inui-kun and Yanagi-kun date?”
“Our teams are mortal enemies, J-chan,” Marui said. “Like the Montagues and the Capulets. Didn’t you have to read Romeo and Juliet yet in English Studies?”
“Maybe?” Jirou said. “I think Kei-kun took us to see that one once though. Is that the one where everyone dies and there are a lot of speeches and a sword fight?”
Marui had to think about that one. “Uhm, yes?”
“I liked that one,” Jirou said. “I stayed awake for lots of it even. Yuu-chan cried at the end, though. Are Inui-kun and Yanagi-kun going to die then?”
Their prey was moving up in line now, following Fuji and Saeki, who had finally gotten their tickets and gone in. Marui turned back to look at Jirou. “No! I said like Romeo and Juliet, but they’re not that alike!” he said.
“Oh. Can I get a donut now, Bun-chan?” Jirou asked, losing interest in people who weren’t going to die. “Fuji-kun has gone inside now, so no one is looking at the truck.”
Marui turned his attention back to the chase. Their prey was on the move.
Several minutes later, he was tapping his toes. The move turned out to simply be the two data guys moving up in line and trying to keep an eye on their own prey who had gone inside finally. Personally he didn’t know why everyone found Fuji so fascinating. Especially Jirou. Marui was a genius too and far better looking. Plus, you know, that whole boyfriend thing.
“Here!” Jirou said, handing him a donut. He had another in his other hand and a smear of frosting on his chin.
With a fond smile Marui wiped the frosting off. “Thank you, J-chan,” he said, taking his own donut from the other. “This is good!”
“Mm, hm!” As they waited in line, trying to keep an eye on their quarry, the boys polished off their donuts rather quickly. Just as Yanagi and Inui got to the head of the line and Marui was starting to panic about how far back they were, Jirou, who was leaning against him, asked, “How come we’re in line and not just going in?”
“Because we have to pay first,” Marui said, rolling his eyes at the silly question.
Jirou straightened up with a frown, then dragged Marui out of line. “No we don’t.” At the far counter he waved at the stone faced man guarding the entrance as Marui tried to protest. “Hi! I’m Jirou! I’m Kei-kun, uhm, Atobe Keigo’s friend!” he said with a happy smile.
Marui’s mouth dropped. The man’s face cracked open as he bowed and told Jirou that the two of them were welcome and to go right in. Really, sometimes he had trouble remembering that his boyfriend moved in more rarified circles than he was used to. And then Jirou did something like this. He gave the other a questioning look as moments later they were inside without paying.
“Kei-kun donates a lot of money to the zoo,” Jirou explained. “He really likes animals.”
Fortunately for Marui’s peace of mind, he spotted Fuji over by the Japanese Birds display, taking a picture of Saeki cooing at the birds. He knew that Yanagi and Inui had gotten inside just before they did, so they must be nearby...unless they really were on a date, in which case...oh, there they were, by the pigeons. Marui sighed again.
“You don’t like birds, Bun-chan?” Jirou asked. He leaned against Marui’s shoulder again.
“They’re okay. Not as cool as some of the other exhibits, though,” Marui answered. He pulled Jirou’s listening device out again and focused it on the two data geeks.
“...the contrary, Sadaharu, the nesting habits would indicate a more widespread…”
Marui quickly flipped it off again. What was it with Yanagi and his love of data? Inui was just as bad, if not worse with those disgusting juices of his. So far no one had said anything interesting enough to warrant the utter coolness of the listening device, either. So disappointing.
Following someone who was following someone was rather dull, truth be told. Marui wondered how actual spies managed it, because it was nothing at all like in the movies. If it hadn’t been for Jirou he would have had a lousy time, in fact. But instead, he did get to spend the afternoon at the zoo with his boyfriend, which was double win. Maybe that was Yanagi’s secret: gathering data while dating. Ingenious, actually. He wondered if Inui realized that the two of them were dating however.
Finally, after parading along past the pandas, lions, bears, elephants and sea lions, Marui tucked away the spy gadgets and gave Jirou a shoulder bump. “You know, J-chan, I am too much of a genius to need to do this all day. Why don’t we go hit up the food carts for lunch and then go hang out at the petting zoo?” he asked.
Jirou’s face lit up and Marui smiled to see it. Bouncing in step, the other said, “Great idea, Bun-chan! You really are a genius! Come on!” He grabbed Marui’s hand yet again and dragged him forward, giving a cheerful “Hello!” to Yanagi, Inui, Fuji and Saeki as they passed each couple.
Marui laughed and happily added his greeting as well. Boring old data collection just wasn’t for him, even when dressed up as fancy spying. His genius was meant for more important things, after all. Like tennis, food and one Akutagawa Jirou.
Author: perkyandproud
Recipient: arysthaeniru
Rating: PG
Pairing: Marui/Jirou a little Yanagi/Inui and Fuji/Saeki
Warnings: There is adorableness here
Disclaimer: All belongs to the great Konomi-sensei!
Summary: Parades and zoos and donuts. Marui and Jirou go on a date.
Notes: I saw a couple of the prompts and the next thing I know, this happened. Hope you like it!
Dun da da dun dun, dun da da dun dun. Marui peeked around the edge of the building then quickly jerked back when he saw that his target had stopped. He held perfectly still, barely breathing, hoping that he hadn’t been spotted. Being a super spy was harder than it looked in the movies, he had to admit. Especially when dealing with a mastermind like the one he was following. Masterminds, actually. Even though he hadn’t seen the other one yet, he knew that where one was the other wasn’t far behind.
”Sugar, sugar, you’re so sweet!” his phone sang suddenly. Marui swore and fumbled it out of his pocket, flipping it open to answer it. “SHH!” he said into it, as if that would help. He knew he’d put his phone on silent, how the heck had Jirou programmed it so that his ringtone would always sound?
“Sh?” Jirou repeated, confused. “What’s going on, Bun-chan? Did I call at a bad time?” His voice drooped and Marui palmed his face with his free hand.
“It’s never a bad time to hear from you, J-chan,” Marui said, pushing off from the wall and walking away from his operation. If his cover wasn’t blown it would be a miracle, might as well cut his losses and not get in trouble with his boyfriend. “What’s up?”
“We just landed,” Jirou said with a happy noise. “At the airport. Atobe’s jet is taxiing us to the terminal now, so he said I could go ahead and call you. Did you miss me?”
Jirou had been away for the past week on a school excursion. Mind you, Marui’s class had gone to Kyoto and stared at temples for two days, but not Hyoutei, oh no. Atobe had flown the whole grade to Athens to stare at the Parthenon. Marui couldn't have cared less, but Jirou was in that class and he just knew the other boy had been eating baklava without him. “Maybe. Did you bring me anything?” Marui said, doing his best to sound disinterested.
“Yup!” Jirou answered. Marui could just see the other’s happy grin and it made him smile too. A week really was a long time to spend away from your boyfriend when you were already fighting to get to see one another as often as you could. “I got you something sweet,” Jirou added. “I think you’ll like it!”
“Most boys get silly t-shirts or statues as souvenirs,” Marui said, crossing the road and heading into the train station. “I get food.” He paused a beat, then grinned. “You’re the best, you know that, right?”
Jirou giggled into his ear. “I missed you too! Do you want to meet as soon as we get through customs and stuff?” he asked.
Marui closed his eyes and took a deep breath. What was it about that voice that made him so happy? Even though Jirou had called every day while gone, he really did want to see him in person. He pulled out his pass and headed for the platform to wait for the next train. “That sounds cool,” he said, doing his best not to sound as excited as he was. He was a genius, after all. Geniuses were awesome. Geniuses didn’t get all giddy just because their boyfriends were home from travel.
Geniuses did run for the train, however, so he did, managing to get on just before the doors closed. “I’m heading that way now,” he told Jirou. “Where do you want to meet?” he asked.
***
About an hour later, Marui walked into ‘Happy Buns,’ Jirou’s favorite bakery. He looked over to see blond hair laying on their usual table, meaning that Jirou had already arrived. He waved at the staff and walked over, sliding into the booth next to his sleeping boyfriend. “Hey there,” he said softly, petting Jirou’s hair.
“Mm, best dream ever,” came the mumbled response. Jirou lifted his head from his arms and smiled sleepily at Marui. “Am I home yet, Bun-chan?” he asked.
Leaning forward, Marui tapped his forehead against Jirou’s for a moment. “Yup. Or rather at Happy Buns with me, which is close enough,” he said. He knew he was grinning, but just then he really didn’t care.
Jirou threw his arms around Marui. “Yay!” he yelled, right into Marui’s ear, causing him to wince. “I haven’t seen you in forever, Bun-chan! Oo, your present!” He let go as fast as he’d grabbed and turned to the bag sitting next to him. “I got you baklava! Because you said you wanted some and you are awesome and therefore you should get what you wanted because I love you and love that you love me and I’m so happy to be home!” he exclaimed, putting the bag on the table and then wrapping his arms around Marui again, happy tears starting to leak from his eyes.
Marui laughed again and worked on his breathing. Whenever Jirou came home from a trip he was like this. In the year that the two had been dating Marui had managed to get used to it. There really wasn’t any other option if he wanted to continue to hang out with Jirou, after all. “Calm down, J-chan,” he said, petting Jirou’s hair again. “Calm down.” He made soothing noises and pet his boyfriend until Jirou stopped vibrating in his seat as much.
After the staff member had brought them their usual hot cocoas with extra whipped topping and plate of the daily special and the two boys had managed to polish it all off, Marui sat back with a happy sigh. “I did miss you too, you know,” he said.
“What were you doing when I called?” Jirou asked, curious. He upended his cup over his tongue to see if any drops of hot cocoa were left, but none came out. “You said, ‘shh!’ so you must have been doing something.”
“Ah, that!” Marui shook his head and pushed the empty plate away. “You know about Yanagi and Inui, right?” he asked, turning to look at Jirou. “Childhood buddies and doubles partners, data players to the extreme?”
“Yeah, I guess,” Jirou said. “They’re not very interesting, though they are good.” For Jirou, tennis was fun and while math was also fun, he didn’t want it in his tennis. “What about them?”
“I think they’re dating,” Marui said. “I’m not positive, though, because they’re, well, weird, and don’t do normal date stuff like go to cafes and share desserts or go to the arcade or even to the movies.” He shook his head. “And if they are, is Yanagi giving Inui all of Rikkai’s data in some sort of bizarre pillow talk or something? I mean, I’m a genius, I don’t want my tennis statistics to become somebody’s idea of foreplay!” He shuddered at the very thought of it.
“Ew,” Jirou agreed, making a face. “That would be gross. Do you think they really do that?” he asked.
Marui shrugged. “Like I said, I’m still gathering evidence that they’re dating. It’s been difficult, you know, because they’re masterminds. Evil masterminds,” he clarified. “Trying to follow someone who is used to following other people isn’t easy.” He sighed a little, slumping in his chair, fiddling with his spoon. “Even for a genius like me,” he said, though his heart really wasn’t in it.
“Bun-chan!” Jirou said, looking shocked. “You are a genius! You can do anything you put your mind to! Oo, let me help? Let me help?” he asked, raising his hand in the air.
Only Marui’s eyes moved as he looked over at his overly excited boyfriend. “You want to help?”
“Uh huh! I’m really good at learning other people’s secrets, you know,” Jirou said proudly. Not that he’d ever tell any of those secrets, Marui knew. It was amazing what you’d hear when people thought you were sound asleep.
Marui thought about it for a moment, then finally straightened up again. “Okay! But I’m James Bond. You can be...you can be my Q, J,” he said, smiling at Jirou. “Unless you’d prefer to be Miss Moneypenny or the dame of the week?”
“Mm, can I be all three?” Jirou asked with a suddenly sly grin. “The one you love, the one who loves you and the guy with the gadgets, all rolled into one!” Marui laughed, even as he nodded.
***
It took a couple of days for the two boys to work out their plan. Jirou had actually come up with a couple of gadgets for Marui to try, even, which both were eager to use in the field and see how they worked.
One was a little camera on a telescoping, flexible rod that attached to Marui’s smartphone, allowing him to see around corners. Marui practiced with it at home to see what his mom was making for dinner. Worked like a charm!
The other was a handheld directional mic that picked up clearly from half a block away, but looked like an ipod. You had to program it to ignore passersbys and other people between you and your target, but it too worked, although not as well as the camera. Jirou admitted that he was still working on it.
It was nice having a tech savvy boyfriend who liked to tinker with odd things and also enjoyed the fine cinematic world of British Superspies. Marui knew that for all his braggado, he was one very lucky guy to have captured Jirou’s heart. On the other hand, Jirou had captured his wristband, three of his shirts, his favorite video game, one of his socks and his comb. He still wasn’t sure why Jirou wanted only one of his socks.
Right now Marui was following his prey. They were on a train, headed into Tokyo. After changing trains once, they were now on the JR Keihin Tohoku Line. Marui slumped against the pole, glad that his prey was tall enough to be seen over the press of people. It was a Sunday, for Konomi’s sake, why were all these people on the train? He kept a close eye on the other as they pulled into yet another station, but instead of getting off, the other evil mastermind had gotten on. Marui texted Jirou to keep him in the loop; it would be bad to get a call from his boyfriend with the two so close.
Marui was not expecting Jirou to wiggle his way through the press of people and come up beside him, however. “Ah! Where did you come from?” he asked, trying to keep his voice low as he freaked out.
“I got on at the same stop as Inui-kun did,” Jirou said, a piece of pocky hanging from his lips. He offered the package to Marui. “Want some?”
“What?” Marui asked, taking a piece. “Did...did he see you?” This wasn’t part of the plan!
“Probably,” Jirou said. He nibbled on his pocky and shrugged. “I was napping against him as we waited for the train. I didn’t want him to disappear,” he explained.
Marui took the pocky out of his mouth so he didn’t break it when he facepalmed himself. “We’re supposed to be stealth, Jirou! As in, not let them know we are following them! Now what are we going to do?”
Jirou smiled, his face sunny, which always warmed Marui’s heart. “Oh, no, don’t worry. I told him I was on my way to meet you, not that I was following him. Because it is the truth. See? I’ve met you!” He pouted a little then. “Do you know what he told me? That he had all of my data. That’s not nice, you know. I’ve got lots more data that he doesn’t have, I bet!”
Tugging Jirou a little closer to give him a publicly acceptable hug, Marui shook his head. “I know you do, J-chan. He doesn’t know what he’s missing. But I do! I mean, I appreciate you and all your data.” He waggled his eyebrows in a fake-suggestive fashion. “Hey, baby, nice data,” he said, making Jirou start giggling uncontrollably.
This time when the train pulled into the station, both Inui and Yanagi got off, followed at a discrete
distance by Marui and Jirou. “Where are we?” Jirou asked, looking around.
“Ueno Station,” Marui said, furrowing his brow. “I wonder what the heck they’re doing here?”
“Oh! The zoo!” Jirou said pointing and bouncing. “Let’s go into the zoo, Bun-chan! It will be fun! They have pandas and giraffes and stuff.” He grabbed Marui’s arm and started pulling him along.
“Jirou!” Marui tried to dig his heels in, but his boyfriend was an unstoppable force when he wanted to be. Fortunately they were headed in the same direction as the others. “Looks like that’s where they’re going all right. Let’s hang back a bit so they don’t see us though, okay?” he begged. It wouldn’t do to blow their cover so soon. Maybe that was the real reason all the spies in the movies tended to work alone. Taking your boyfriend with you on a mission was dangerous!
Speaking of dangerous, was that Fuji from Seigaku? What was he doing here, Marui wondered. He put in the earpiece for the directional mike and focused it on the other boy. After a moment though, he turned the thing off and tucked it away. Jirou was vibrating too much to focus on eavesdropping. “Yes?”
“It’s Fuji-kun! What is he doing here? Did he say? Can we go say hi, Bun-chan, can we?” Jirou said, giving Marui a pleading puppy dog look.
“He’s apparently on a date with Saeki, from Rokakku,” Marui said. “You wouldn’t want to interrupt him while he’s on a date, would you?” he asked, giving Jirou a look that said no. He sighed, then brightened up a little. “Looks like we’re all going to the zoo!”
It was a strange parade that made its way to the zoo. Fuji and Saeki strolling along, chatting merrily, Yanagi and Inui following them and, bringing up the rear, Marui and Jirou. Marui didn’t know if this made them the elephants or the janitor that had to sweep up behind the elephants. He just wished he’d grabbed a snack. Breakfast was so long ago and there was a line to get into the zoo.
There was also a donut truck. Do-Na-Mi was doing brisk business, catering to the needs of the zoo going populous, giving them a quick sugar and caffeine fix with their pastries and coffee. Marui rolled his eyes at the name, but wished he could get closer. Jirou wasn’t helping.
“Bun-chan! Bun-chan! Fuji-kun just bought a donut! I bet it had wasabi in it. He’s so cool! Can I go get a donut, Bun-chan? Just like Fuji-kun?” The blond was tugging at Marui’s arm and bouncing up and down.
“Nuh uh!” Marui said. He even shook his head. “That would blow our cover, Jirou. We have to wait for them to get inside, first.” He sighed again. Once the time the first two were through the line, maybe he could send Jirou over while he waited. He was starting to think that the action scenes in the movies were far more heavily edited than he’d previously suspected.
“Why would it blow our cover?” Jirou wanted to know. “Inui-kun and Yanagi-kun are in line over there. I just want to say hi to Fuji-kun and get a donut.”
“Because,” Marui said, putting his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders, attempting to will the other calmer, “our evil masterminds, who say they are here to get data, not date, are following Fuji and Saeki, who are on a date. Why Inui wants data on Fuji’s dating habits is beyond me, but then those two data guys are just creepy that way,” he said with a shudder.
Jirou giggled. “It sounds funny when you talk about dates and data like that, Bun-chan,” he said. He leaned in and kissed Marui on the nose. “Is it really a bad thing if Inui-kun and Yanagi-kun date?”
“Our teams are mortal enemies, J-chan,” Marui said. “Like the Montagues and the Capulets. Didn’t you have to read Romeo and Juliet yet in English Studies?”
“Maybe?” Jirou said. “I think Kei-kun took us to see that one once though. Is that the one where everyone dies and there are a lot of speeches and a sword fight?”
Marui had to think about that one. “Uhm, yes?”
“I liked that one,” Jirou said. “I stayed awake for lots of it even. Yuu-chan cried at the end, though. Are Inui-kun and Yanagi-kun going to die then?”
Their prey was moving up in line now, following Fuji and Saeki, who had finally gotten their tickets and gone in. Marui turned back to look at Jirou. “No! I said like Romeo and Juliet, but they’re not that alike!” he said.
“Oh. Can I get a donut now, Bun-chan?” Jirou asked, losing interest in people who weren’t going to die. “Fuji-kun has gone inside now, so no one is looking at the truck.”
Marui turned his attention back to the chase. Their prey was on the move.
Several minutes later, he was tapping his toes. The move turned out to simply be the two data guys moving up in line and trying to keep an eye on their own prey who had gone inside finally. Personally he didn’t know why everyone found Fuji so fascinating. Especially Jirou. Marui was a genius too and far better looking. Plus, you know, that whole boyfriend thing.
“Here!” Jirou said, handing him a donut. He had another in his other hand and a smear of frosting on his chin.
With a fond smile Marui wiped the frosting off. “Thank you, J-chan,” he said, taking his own donut from the other. “This is good!”
“Mm, hm!” As they waited in line, trying to keep an eye on their quarry, the boys polished off their donuts rather quickly. Just as Yanagi and Inui got to the head of the line and Marui was starting to panic about how far back they were, Jirou, who was leaning against him, asked, “How come we’re in line and not just going in?”
“Because we have to pay first,” Marui said, rolling his eyes at the silly question.
Jirou straightened up with a frown, then dragged Marui out of line. “No we don’t.” At the far counter he waved at the stone faced man guarding the entrance as Marui tried to protest. “Hi! I’m Jirou! I’m Kei-kun, uhm, Atobe Keigo’s friend!” he said with a happy smile.
Marui’s mouth dropped. The man’s face cracked open as he bowed and told Jirou that the two of them were welcome and to go right in. Really, sometimes he had trouble remembering that his boyfriend moved in more rarified circles than he was used to. And then Jirou did something like this. He gave the other a questioning look as moments later they were inside without paying.
“Kei-kun donates a lot of money to the zoo,” Jirou explained. “He really likes animals.”
Fortunately for Marui’s peace of mind, he spotted Fuji over by the Japanese Birds display, taking a picture of Saeki cooing at the birds. He knew that Yanagi and Inui had gotten inside just before they did, so they must be nearby...unless they really were on a date, in which case...oh, there they were, by the pigeons. Marui sighed again.
“You don’t like birds, Bun-chan?” Jirou asked. He leaned against Marui’s shoulder again.
“They’re okay. Not as cool as some of the other exhibits, though,” Marui answered. He pulled Jirou’s listening device out again and focused it on the two data geeks.
“...the contrary, Sadaharu, the nesting habits would indicate a more widespread…”
Marui quickly flipped it off again. What was it with Yanagi and his love of data? Inui was just as bad, if not worse with those disgusting juices of his. So far no one had said anything interesting enough to warrant the utter coolness of the listening device, either. So disappointing.
Following someone who was following someone was rather dull, truth be told. Marui wondered how actual spies managed it, because it was nothing at all like in the movies. If it hadn’t been for Jirou he would have had a lousy time, in fact. But instead, he did get to spend the afternoon at the zoo with his boyfriend, which was double win. Maybe that was Yanagi’s secret: gathering data while dating. Ingenious, actually. He wondered if Inui realized that the two of them were dating however.
Finally, after parading along past the pandas, lions, bears, elephants and sea lions, Marui tucked away the spy gadgets and gave Jirou a shoulder bump. “You know, J-chan, I am too much of a genius to need to do this all day. Why don’t we go hit up the food carts for lunch and then go hang out at the petting zoo?” he asked.
Jirou’s face lit up and Marui smiled to see it. Bouncing in step, the other said, “Great idea, Bun-chan! You really are a genius! Come on!” He grabbed Marui’s hand yet again and dragged him forward, giving a cheerful “Hello!” to Yanagi, Inui, Fuji and Saeki as they passed each couple.
Marui laughed and happily added his greeting as well. Boring old data collection just wasn’t for him, even when dressed up as fancy spying. His genius was meant for more important things, after all. Like tennis, food and one Akutagawa Jirou.