Title: Coming Out

Author: jtptan

Pairing: Hiruma/Sena

Fandom: Eyeshield 21

Theme: 22. cradle

Summary: Pretty self-explanatory from the title.

Warnings: Spoilers for the manga game with the Spiders. um.. cuss words? Slash.

Disclaimer: Eyeshield 21 isn't mine, LJ isn't mine, and a lot of other things aren't mine. Words aren't mine... the order of them here though, is.

A/N: Please note that names are spelt the same as I read them in the translations of the manga I read. This is set in the future, directly after the end of the Christmas Bowl. This is also told in the second person through Hiruma, because somebody dared me to do it. I sort of like this, but I don't know if other people will.

Coming Out

It's not that you were trying to keep the girl out of your life. You've just been increasingly aware that not only can't the fucking Manager protect you from everything, but that you don't even want her to anymore. And you've been increasingly afraid that she won't want anything to do with you anymore when she finds out.

I offered to tell everyone, and I've got a damn amusing scenario thought out, but of course you insisted on at least telling your Mamori-neechan. You think she deserves to hear it from you first, just like before the Bandou Spiders game when you told her that Sena Kobayakawa is Eyshield 21. I regret missing the look on her face for that, so I made sure I'd get to see it this time.

Anyway, you think you fucking owe her something. I disagree, though for once I dont say so. It's her fault you were picked on after all. If she would have let you grow up, you could've.

You've proved that by now, that when she was forced to back off you grew up and away from her. That's her problem. She wants to keep you to herself. Guess I can't blame her for that one thing.

You were so fucking terrified of everything when I met you, you're like another goddamn person now altogether. Heh. You were scared of me, and football, and half of our teammates when you first met them... and yourself. Later you were scared of what people would think, and though you're still a little scared of that now, your main concern is what would happen if it broke up the fucking team.

Which is why we waited till after the Christmas Bowl, one way or another. And now everybody's gone, probably half sloshed by now at the party, except the three of us. I told you I'd wait outside but instead I'm just around the corner of the changeroom eavesdropping.

You're probably going over what to say when she comes and finds you in the changeroom. You haven't even taken off your fucking cleats. She starts to ask what's the matter when you look up at her and she gets a face full of your fucking eyes. People think my eyes are weird, but yours are more powerful when you're determined about something. I can't fucking see it now, but I know that puppy-eyed look.

Apparently she's even stupider than I thought she is, because she thinks you're hurt. She says something about "that damn quarterback". Che. She doesn't know the half of it.

I can tell she's wrapped you in one of those hugs. You've never liked her squishing you to her chest like that - you can't breathe. I hear you pull away, tell her she's got it all wrong.

You tell her you've been seeing somebody. I hear you mention some sentimental crap about how they make you happy, really happy. I roll my eyes but at the same time there's a tiny spurt of happiness in my gut. You don't need to know about that though. The fucking manager uses her amazing powers of obviliousness and assumes it's Suzuna.

Before you can correct her she's going on about how happy she is her little Sena is growing up, and you could have told her, and oh-but-of-course-you-waited-till-after-the-big-game, and- well, I'm not going to repeat every damn thing comes out of her mouth.

You let her run herself out, still too fucking polite to actually interrupt somebody, tell her no, it's not Suzuna, it's somebody else. She protests, saying Suzuna's the only girl on the team besides herself. I don't chance a look around the corner, but I do make sure later to look at the tape of her face at that moment. Confusion, realization, shock, and- heh. Dawning horror.

You just wait patiently, until she asks, faintly, "Who?". I can tell she's dreading the answer, but is putting things together and knows exactly whos stolen you away from her.

"Youichi." It's fucking strange hearing you say that in front of anybody else. I imagine you've got that tiny self-concious smile on your face.

The two of you just sit together, without moving, for a while after that. I can practically hear the cogs working in her head. I'm surprised when eventually she says she's happy for you, and I hear her hug you again.

I move so that my shadow can be seen in the room. "You ever hurt him, Hiruma," she says, "and I swear I'll kill you."

Seeing you again without having to imagine you makes me grin like an idiot. "Time to go, kuso-chibi." I say, temporarily disregarding her comment. "We still got some more people to traumatize tonight. No time to fucking hang around."

You pull away from her, and leave her with a peck on the cheek. You probably murmur something stupid like 'arigato'. Consolation prize. She's turning red from being ignored by me as I drape my arm around your shoulders and we turn to go.

When we reach the door I turn my head back. "Kuso-manager."

"What?" she's curt with me. Understandable.

"I hurt him all the fucking time." You're shocked I said it, though you really shouldn't be. "He's fast enough to get away if he didn't like it."

With that, I lead you out the door. I can tell you're going to tell me off for being mean to Mamori, but you know I'm not going to listen. I'm fucking mean to everybody. So I shut you up by covering your opening mouth with mine.

You're all fucking mine now.

Ya-ha!