Disclaimer: I don't Prince of Tennis or the characters.

A Love of Sweets

Ch.2

Last Time

"Ah, Jirou, why don't you get that? I can finish cleaning up there. It is my table, after-all."
The brunette looked like he was planning something, and Marui had a feeling it involved him.

Marui stared at Fuji, trying to figure out what the waiter was up to. Fuji's expression hadn't changed since he arrived, still that never changing smile, but there was a teasing air about him as he glanced towards the big table in the middle of the cafe where Jirou was cleaning up the mess the group of students from before had left.

"Ehh? You don't have to, Fuji-kun! Kei-chan came to see me and then sat in your section! I can clean up!" Ernest brown eyes looked over to where Fuji still stood beside Marui's table.

"Fuji-kun! Can we get two coffee's to go?" a customer called out.

"Yes. I will bring those right away." The waiter smiled at the customer before turning to back to Marui. "Jirou will be right with you." He walked towards the counter, stopping briefly next to the blonde who was still cleaning.

Marui turned back to his coffee, determined not to stare as Fuji put his hand on the smaller boy's shoulder and told him to go get the cake. It wasn't his business who served him, anyway.

"One strawberry coffeecake!" He looked up as a plate was set in front of him and was faced with a wide smile. "It's fresh too! Shira-kun just pulled them out of the oven!"

"Ah. Thank you." Marui pulled the plate towards him, getting ready to dig in, when he realized Jirou was still standing there, staring at him with big eyes and a bright grin. "Um, is something wrong?"

Blonde hair whipped back and forth as Jirou shook his head. "Try it! I want to know what you think! This is one of my favorite things Shira-kun makes!"

Feeling self-conscious, Marui picked up his fork. Figuring the blond was going to stand there until he ate some, he leaned in and took a bite. His eyes widened, holding in a moan as the flavor filled his senses. The cake was light and fluffy, almost melting in his mouth, with just a hint of strawberry. Turning to Jirou, he gave him a small smile.

"It's good."

"Really?!" If possible, the grin got even wider and the blond did a little fist pump, looking like he just won something. "Isn't it awesome! Shira-kun makes the best desserts!"

Marui did his best to hold in his laugh, not wanting the other male to think he was laughing at him. This cafe was definitely different. He'd never had waiters quite as eccentric as Fuji and Jirou. "Tell... Shira-san, was it? Tell him it's delicious."

"Hai~!" He watched as the blond bounced towards the door behind the counter that led to the kitchens, and could just make out a 'Shiraishiii~! He loved your cake!'. So that was the chef's name. Since Jirou was no longer hovering over him, he finally let out a small laugh and shook his head as he turned back to his cake.

The blonde was interesting. He had an almost childlike innocence about him, with those wide eyes and silly grin. Even though Jirou looked about Marui's age, he was acting like a five year old who brought home a crayon drawing, standing there and waiting for it to be praised and hung up on the fridge. He practically radiated energy, bouncing in place, and Marui had never seen someone get so excited about another person's accomplishment. His enthusiasm was infectious, and Marui couldn't help but smile.

After he took his last bite of cake, Marui sighed and leaned back, rubbing his stomach. That was the best coffee cake he had ever had. Feeling his phone buzz, he picked it up to see a text from Niou. He didn't even feel any irritation towards his loose roommate anymore, even though Niou had basically kicked him out so he could 'spend time' with his company. That must have been really good cake!

Niou:companys gone. come home we are gonna go out tonight!

He Marui sighed. Typical. Oh well, he was still far too satisfied to feel annoyed.

Marui:I'll be home soon. I don't want to go clubbing tonight.

Originally, he had wanted to go home and sleep, then maybe read some manga and eat dinner before more sleep. Going out for a beer or two might not be too bad, though. He hadn't seen his roommate in a couple days, so he might as well hang out with him. He was curious to know where Niou had been. Feeling another buzz, he finished up his coffee before reading the message.

Niou:we can go to a bar or somthin. im a bit tired now anyway ^_-v

Ugh. Marui did not want to know that. Sometimes Niou gave him way too much information. He stood up and grabbed his book-bag before making his way to the counter at the back of the cafe. He saw Fuji was reading a book behind the counter, but the waiter quickly stood up when he realized Marui was approaching. "Oh, are you finished?"

"Yeah. I wasn't sure if I paid there or here." Marui looked around, realizing the place was now mostly empty, except for one lone workman in a booth to the left reading a newspaper.

"You can pay here if you'd like." Fuji rang him up as he reached into his pocket for his wallet.

Jirou came out from the back door and rushed up to the counter, his smile now gone and replaced with a worried frown. "Ah! Sorry! Were you finished?!" Marui jumped, startled. "I should have been paying more attention! You didn't have to come up here to pay!

It seemed energetic boy was expressive in everything he did. Jirou stood slightly hunched, head bowed, and hands twisting in the black apron he wore around his waist. He looked as if he was expecting to receive a scolding.

Marui quickly smiled to let the blonde know he wasn't angry. "It's fine. I just finished." He handed Fuji the money, telling him to keep the change. "My roommate called, so I have to go." Both waiters bowed and thanked him for coming. Marui smile at them and turned to leave. At least Jirou didn't seem as worried now

"Ah! Wait!"

He paused and turned at the blonde's exclamation. Had he forgotten something?

"What's your name?"

Jirou was quite different from his co-worker. Fuji, with his polite smile and soft voice, was a little unusual, but politely served everyone with the same face. The blonde, though... just how many expressions did he go through with his customers? Leaning forward on the counter, the blonde head tilted to the side with a inquiring expression. He looked just like a puppy, curiously exploring a new home.

"It's Marui. Marui Bunta."

"Marui-kun!" There was that infectious smile. "Come again!"

"I will." He smiled at them both again before leaving the shop and heading back towards his apartment. That had been quite an interesting stop. Maybe it was a good thing his usual sweet shop had been too crowded, and that Niou had 'company'. He would definitely have to go back to the cafe. It was closer to his apartment, and besides, he wanted to see what other kinds of sweets this chef, Shiraishi-san, could make. And although they were a little different, both Fuji and Jirou had been nice... not that he was going to go back to specifically see Jirou or anything.

He nodded, deciding to himself that this was going to be his new favorite spot. Change was good, after all. Humming, he made his way home, his mood completely different than it had been just over an hour ago.

Marui opened the door to his apartment just enough to stick his head in. He paused, and when he didn't hear anything that made him want to turn around and run away,, he stepped inside. Taking off his shoes, he sighed with relief when he saw only his roommate's shoes thrown to the side. Good. That meant no awkward conversations today.

He and Niou decided to get a small apartment together when they graduated from high school. There was a small room when you first entered the apartment that served as a living room and a kitchen. It wasn't much, but they were able to fit an old couch Marui's uncle had given them. Niou's mom had let them have a spare family kotatsu that was not used often since they bought a newer one, which was out and in front of the couch right now without the futon. In the far right corner was a small kitchen area. Just a stove, sink, and a mini fridge. They needed to go get a microwave oven soon too. When they ate at home, they just used the kotatsu as a table.

Crossing through the empty living room, Marui made his way to his bedroom. The bedrooms were along the left side of the apartment. His doorway was towards the back left corner of the living room, right before a short hallway opened up to where Niou's room was on the left, and the shared bathroom on the right. There was also a balcony that ran the length of their rooms, and they each had a door in their rooms to go outside.

His room wasn't very decorated. It was mostly just his futon laying lengthwise along the wall that was shared with the living room, his desk across from it, and a closet with sliding doors set into the wall to the right when he entered. The doorway to the balcony was across from the entrance to his room, letting in natural light. Every spare space was taken up with shelves filled with manga instead of posters or games.

He had just dumped his book bag on his desk when he heard his roommates voice."Yo. Sorry for the short notice earlier. Daiki got out of class late."

"If I say it's fine, can you keep the details to yourself?" He turned to face his roommate, glaring when he realized Niou was dripping water in his doorway, obviously having just gotten out of the shower. "And go put some clothes on! You're getting my floor all wet!" At least he had a towel around his waist this time. The taller male didn't really care for clothes, and Marui had lost count of how many times Niou had just walked into a room with nothing but the towel he was drying his bleached hair with.

Niou smirked and struck a pose that was probably supposed to be seductive. "Come on, Bunta. You know you want me."

"Oh yes... I want you." He deadpanned, having learned long ago that refusing just encouraged Niou. He rolled his eyes as he walked past Niou to the kitchen, across from his doorway. He poured himself some water before flopping on the couch. "Where do you want to go tonight?"

"I figured we could go somewhere around here." Niou called out from his room, hopefully having gone to change. He walked back out into the living room a few minutes later, luckily with clothes on this time, and was running a towel through his hair. "It won't be as crowded as the bars around the university."

"Yeah, alright." Marui drank his water before leaning his head back and closing his eyes. Maybe he could still take a small nap before they went out. Or maybe he could talk Niou into not staying out too late... Yeah, right. This was Niou he was talking about. He liked partying almost as much as he liked sex.

He didn't bother to open his eyes when he felt the couch dip as the other male sat down next to him. However, his eyes did open when his glass was suddenly taken away.. "I was drinking that."

"Yeah, yeah. I don't wanna get up again." Niou took a drink as he leaned back and put his feet up on the table in front of them. "So did ya go to that sweet shop over by the high school? I was surprised ya weren't already back when I texted ya."

Marui made a face as he thought about his failed trip. "Yeah, but the line was ridiculous. So I didn't stay." He felt like it had been more than a couple of hours since he'd stomped away from the shop, frustrated and annoyed. "I found a cafe close to here, though, while I was walking around waiting for you to be done." He slanted his eyes towards his smug roommate.

Niou chuckled as he casually waved his hand in Marui's direction. "Sorry, sorry." Yeah... he looked real sorry. "Was it any good? I don't remember any cafe's close to here."

"Yeah, it was good. They had cakes and stuff. I'm going to go back again." He shifted to the side to face his roommate. "You know that road by the 7-11 that leads back to an older neighborhood. It was back there. They had some interesting people there."

"So, what, you wasted time by eating cakes with old women in an old cafe?"

He grabbed one of the pillows on the couch and threw it at Niou. "No! You jerk." He sat back in a huff as his evil roommate practically cackled. "The guys who worked there were our age. They were pretty cool."

He thought back to the constant smiling Fuji, who was kind of creepy but seemed nice enough, and to the over spirited Jirou, who was friendly and cute and... Hmm, maybe he wouldn't go into detail. Niou would probably go try to pick them up, and then he would have to find another place to get his sweets. Ah, but speaking of people he met.

"Do you know an Atobe?"

"Atobe Keigo?" Marui frowned at Niou's tone. Should he know him?

"Yeah. He was there today, and I thought he looked familiar."

Niou sat up with an incredulous look. "Atobe Keigo was at this old cafe?"

"Yeah, he's apparently friends with one of the workers." He felt another flash of irritation as he thought of the obnoxious jerk. He still didn't get why someone as likable as Jirou was friends with him.

"Must be a pretty good friend." Niou sat back with a confused look. "I wouldn't have expected him to go anywhere where they serve coffee in a gold cup."

"What do you mean? And do those places even exist?" His roommate was giving him a look. Marui hated it when his roommate gave him that look. He was not stupid, he just couldn't remember where he knew the name Atobe from.

"Atobe Keigo. You know, the heir to Atobe Corporation." Niou rolled his eyes. "Where have you been the past few years. Everyone knows about the Atobes'."

Marui's eyes widened as the name finally clicked. Everything made a lot more sense now. They way he talked and carried himself. The way he acted like he owned the place. He groaned. Atobe probably did own the place.

He suddenly remembered he had a bone to pick with his roommate. Turning his eyes towards Niou, who looked like he was about to doze off, Marui reached out with his leg and pushed Niou's feet off the table. "Where have you been the past two days, anyway?"

Niou grunted as his feet fell and it jolted him out of his daze. "Went to Seiichi's. He needed help with some art project and Sanada was gone for some kendo club retreat thing. I just slept there. Art majors have crazy hours, apparently." Green eyes opened to look at the redhead. "Aww, did Bunta miss me?"

Marui rolled his eyes away, trying to appear uncaring, but couldn't seem to stop a small smile. "Yeah right. I just wanted to make sure you were alive. What would I tell your mom if you went missing after a week of living with me?"

Niou laughed. "She would probably ask you to move in immediately to replace me. I swear she likes you more than me."

"That's because I'm more likable than you." He shot his roommate a cocky grin as he stood and stretched. "I'm going to take a shower. Don't fall asleep if you want to go out tonight!"

Marui sighed as he cursed his roommate once again. This was the same kind of tricks his roommate always pulled. "Oh don't worry Bunta, it won't be crowded." He lowered his voice as he mocked his roommate under his breath. "It's just a small bar, Bunta, we don't have to stay long." Marui snorted, raising his beer and taking another drink. Stupid Niou. He should have known, but no, he decided to follow the stupid trickster, which led to his current situation.

They had walked into the bar, which was more of a club, and Niou immediately pushed him towards the bar before he could escape. After he had been pushed onto a barstool, Niou began ordering drinks for them which gave Marui time to look around. They had arrived a little after 10 o'clock, when things had just started picking up. The dance floor towards the back of the club wasn't quite crowded yet, but there were many patrons sitting around talking and drinking. That was about the time he'd realized most everyone in the bar was male, and that Niou had taken him to a gay bar. That had been about an hour and a half ago.

Normally, he would be more happy about being here. He tended to lean towards the male persuasion anyway. He just hated coming to places like this with just Niou because his so called 'friend' would usually leave him alone for some stupid twink, and then Marui would have to fend off horny men all night. It was times like these that he hated his small stature and his stupid girly face. Most men looked at him and just assumed he was a nice little bottom who would love to go and have a good time with them. He was average height damn it, and he could like topping if he wanted to!

"Hey cutie, can-"

"No. Buzz off." He didn't even look at the guy he had just cut off, almost out of patience after being hit on for over an hour. Niou had only lasted about fifteen minutes before he'd run off to dance with some guy he had been eyeing up since they got there. Growling with annoyance at his roommate, he chugged the rest of his beer and slammed the glass back on the counter. Turning around, he looked through the crowd, which was a great deal bigger than when they arrived, trying to find a hint of his roommate's bleached hair. He was tired of this, and wanted to leave.

A flash of light colored hair on the dance floor caught his eyes, and he stood up to see if it was his roommate. Instead, he found himself looking at a familiar wide grin and laughing brown eyes; a small face framed by wavy blonde hair. Jirou, the sweet and charming waiter from this afternoon was here? He moved his head around, trying to see who Jirou was with, but it was too crowded.

He huffed and sat back down, keeping his eyes on the dancing blonde. So Jirou liked guys? He had to, if he was here and dancing. Maybe he would stay after all and go talk to him. It was always nice to have more friends. Yeah, friends... Now that he thought about it, the blonde was just his type. Jirou was smaller than Marui, and cute, and he could already imagine how he would feel against-

Marui shook his head trying to get rid of those thoughts. What was he thinking? He just met Jirou today. It was definitely time to go home, he'd had too much to drink. He glanced back to the dance floor one more time, intending to pay and leave after one more search for Niou. Then the couple blocking Jirou and his dance partner left the floor. He caught a glimpse of dirty blonde hair, arresting eyes, and a tall built body clothed in arrogance.

What was Jirou doing in a gay bar dancing with Atobe Keigo?

A/N: Finally got the second chapter finished! I hope you all enjoyed it!

Also, quick thanks to my friend for trying out beta-ing for me! And to kuroikuu, for reviewing and giving this pair a chance ^_^