The Great Terrible Lord Yukimura (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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tennis_hell2018-08-07 09:52 am
gtl_yukimura) wrote in tennis_hell2018-08-07 09:52 am
[log] yukimura & marui
Who: Yukimura Seiichi & Marui Bunta
What: Celebratory croquembouche & tea
When: A few days after Yukimura got back from Wimbledon
Where: Yukimura's apartment
Rating: G/PG
Yukimura stretched on the floor of his apartment taking a break from working on a concept for school. The landscape was coming together -- the Poison Garden made for fantastic inspiration. He felt around for his phone, remembering that it had vibrated to indicate a new message. Finally locating it, Yukimura read over the reminder on his phone. Marui would be coming over soon. Like in the next ten minutes soon.
With a groan, Yukimura picked himself off of the floor and tidied up. Art supplies put away, suitcase shoved into his closet, and water heating up in the kettle. Now all he needed to do was wait for his former teammate to show up.
A knock sounded on the door. Shave and a haircut.
Marui was stood outside, a large, nearly packed cakebox in his arms and a tote slung over his shoulder. His hair was pushed back out of his eyes by a thin hairband but other than that, he hadn’t changed a bit. A beaming smile lit up his face as the door opened, already excited to see his former captain. It had been a long time.
“Buchou~ Did you miss me?”
Yukimura had just turned off the kettle when the knock came. He gave his former teammate a warm smile when he opened the door. There was something to be said about familiarity. Marui didn't look any different other than the headband.
"Of course," Yukimura responded, ushering Marui inside the apartment. He closed the door behind Marui then headed back into the kitchen to prepare tea. "How much sugar would you like in your tea?"
“Two and a half.”
Marui followed him into the kitchen, glancing around the apartment curiously.
“How was the flight? You don’t even look tired, I’d be wiped after being on a plane so long. Last time I went to Europe, I was out for like, three whole days!” He was pouting a little, but the smile was soon back on his face as he set the cakebox down on the table, pulling out a chair and waiting to unveil his masterpiece in a box.
“Brought you something,” he sang.
Yukimura nodded and spooned the correct amount of sugar into the tea and stirred. "Flight was good. I slept about half of it then stayed up until we got back and slept some more until I was mostly back on Japan time." He set the mug of tea in front of Marui. "Plus I did some undereye mask thing because my sister said I looked like death. Super flattering," he added with a laugh.
Sitting down with his own mug, Yukimura poked at the cakebox. "After your surprise, I have some souvenirs for you."
“You should have taken photos,” he snickered, pulling the tea closer with a nod of thanks. “Urgh, you are super lucky. I can never sleep on planes so I end up the grouchiest person in the world when we get off.”
Marui paused, his eyebrows raised, surprised he had thought of him. But then he had been talking to him while he was over so he guessed it wasn’t too out of the blue. “I didn’t expect you to get me anything but thanks!”
Then Marui stood up, his hand hovering over the cakebox, “First though… the grand reveal. Ta da~”
He lifted the lid to reveal a small croquembouche, spun sugar delicately balancing over the delicious golden crispy cream puffs. Enough for one, or perhaps two.
"I don't want photos of me looking like a zombie in the tabloids. They take enough bad ones as it is with all their gossip mongering." Yukimura took a sip of tea. "Maybe the next time you fly, you should bring something with you, like a sleeping pill or a natural remedy like a lavender spray," he suggested then shrugged. "How could I not bring you back some British sweets?"
Yukimura watched as Marui lifted the box to reveal the croquembouche he had requested. "It looks delicious. Clearly you've upped your baking game over the years."
He reached over and plucked one of the cream puffs off of the tower then popped it into mouth. Absolutely amazing. "I hope you don't think I'm going to eat this all by myself," Yukimura said. "You have to taste your creation."
“Of course!" He pulled off a ball of pastry for himself, being careful so he didn’t topple the whole thing. “Mm… they’re good dipped in chocolate too, but the spun sugar makes you feel extra fancy.”
Marui leant forward on the table before nodding at Yukimura expectantly, “Come on then, let's see these British sweets!”
"Spun sugar is preferable." Yukimura smiled. He reached over to the shelf near his table and grabbed a medium-sized bag, placing it in front of Marui. "I tried to grab things you probably haven't had or haven't had in awhile."
Between the bags of Jelly Babies, various black currant-flavored items, Maltesers, and the abundance of a variety of Cadbury products, Yukimura figured Marui would be okay for a couple of days. Three at the most. "I hope you like them," he said, pulling off another cream puff.
“Ohh cool! I love Cadbury’s! I’ve found them a few times at foreign imported goods shops but this is awesome!”
He sorted through them eagerly, choosing a packet of maltesers and popping it open, already starting on the candy rather than the cream puffs. “Thanks Yukimura!”
Marui licked some of the chocolate off his fingers, taking a sip of his tea before shaking the packet in Yukimura's direction in offering. “Did you get to try any while you were over? What was your favourite dessert?”
"I see I selected well." Yukimura couldn't help but be amused and thankful that Marui enjoyed the treats. "I tried to stay away from desserts while in London." The same could not be said about Paris. "Next time I go, you'll have to give me some things I should try."
He took a long sip of tea then broke off some of the spun sugar from the tower. French desserts were the best.
“Oh definitely,” he hummed, “though I’ll only know them by reputation. Anyway, Wimbledon. How did it go? Did you see any wombles?” Of course, he already knew about the results, but he wanted to hear about it from Yukimura’s perspective.
Yukimura didn't mind that. There were plenty of foods that had great reputations, but that he doubted he would every try, due to his preferences. He shrugged at Marui's question. "Worse than the French. Quarterfinal exit," he said finally then paused. "A what?"
Marui clucked his tongue, waving it away, “you’ll do better next time.” He had endless confidence in Yukimura and it showed in the way he looked at him, unfaltering. “It’s just a blip. And what. A womble? They’re like… these mole rodent things that are supposed to live around Wimbledon. You didn’t see any then huh?”
He pouted a little, he’d never actually seen one.
"Of course I will," Yukimura said. After all, he was going to have a brutal new training regimen thanks to Yanagi. It better help him get past the quarterfinals at the US Open.
Marui's explanation of a womble didn't really help and Yukimura shook his head. "I don't think so, but you might ask Akaya. He was there too." After plucking another cream puff off the dwindling tower and eating it, he added, "Maybe An-chan and Liliadent saw one. If Zaizen did, he has footage, most likely. You should check with them as well."
“Ehhh maybe. That’s way too much effort though, I’ll probably forget.” He slumped in his chair as if to express how much he couldn’t be bothered to ask around, pouting further.
Yukimura looked at his former teammate then laughed. "Ask through your journal?" he suggested and took a small sip of tea. "You'll be able to ask everyone who was there that way. Genius idea, right?"
He said the last bit to snap Marui out of his funk. The redhead was incredibly intelligent; he just needed the reminder.
Marui blinked at him for a second and then snorted at his own foolishness, “well of course.”
Waving it away he continued, “anyway. What are your plans concerning summer? I need to start planning and a lot of it kind of depends on what everyone else is doing. Are you heading back home?”
"Good." Pleased that his plan worked, Yukimura ate another cream puff and thought about Marui's question. "After exams, I'm basically free until I leave for New York. There's obviously training, working at the florist, a few doctor's appointments," he ticked off. "When I'm here, I've been heading home on the weekend's if I'm not working, but most of the time, they come visit me. Mika enjoys Tokyo a lot, so she tries to come up whenever our parents will let her."
Yukimura leaned forward, holding his chin in his hand. "What are your plans for late-August, early-September?"
“I’m actually heading back home for most of the summer. I’ll be working at the bakery part time again.” Marui grinned at the thought, a smug expression on his face, “I can’t wait to show them how much better I’ve gotten. They’ll be sure to start selling some of my recipes.” He hummed thoughtfully, tapping a finger to his lips, “apart from that… I’m going down to Osaka for a couple days at the beginning of September I think? I haven’t finalized a date with Kenya yet. Why? You got something in mind? Oh wait, that’s before you head to New York right? Definitely come to the bakery on one of your weekends, you can charm my boss into giving me an extra long break.”
Winking at Yukimura, he took the last cream puff and held it out to him, “split the last one?”
Yukimura should have known that Marui would have already made plans for the summer break. That was the main downside of his tennis schedule. There wasn't a lot of time to plan in advance. "Of course they will. They should have from the beginning," he said. Marui was an excellent baker and had been for as long as Yukimura had known him. "I thought you might want to come to New York with me. For the US Open."
He waved his hand at the cream puff. "You go ahead. I've had more than enough."
“Ehh?? For real?” His eyes widened in shock at the offer, the cream puff wavering in the air as his offer registered. Marui frowned, slowly popping the last puff into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully as he stared at the table. “Mmm… When do you leave for it exactly?”
As much as he wanted to instantly accept, he had already asked if a summer position was open at the bakery. But he might be able to move things around… Osaka he could definitely move, it was his work commitment.
“I assume Yanagi would be coming too? Being your manager and all?”
Yukimura nodded. "I'm flying out the 22nd," he responded. "But it's not an issue if you can't come. There will be other tournaments if you'd rather skip this one and come to a different one. I promise it won't hurt my feelings."
Another nod. "Renji is coming, as is my sister. And Akaya, of course, since he'll be playing too. I haven't asked Sanada if he wants an escape plan yet."
He grimaced and shrugged, “honestly, I’m gonna have to let you know. I’ll find out if there’s anyone who can take over for me at work, but if there isn’t, I’ll have to raincheck. Sorry. I know it’s awkward.” Marui rubbed the back of his neck, already feeling guilty.
"No no, it's perfectly fine!" Yukimura said, shaking his head. "It was a spur of the moment question, so I'm not surprised you already have things arranged. Don't worry about it, okay? I'll just have to take you to Paris with me next year."
Marui brightened up at that, a sheepish tilt still lingering at the corners of his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck, “yeah that might be better. And hey, us two francophiles will be sure to have a blast.” He gently elbowed Yukimura, taking a quick glance at his face to make sure he really was okay with it. “I’ll be watching you and cheering you on anyway.”
"It gives you more time to prepare," Yukimura said. "You'll have to think of places you want to go to. I took Sanada to one of the patisseries that specializes in Japanese desserts. I think I even saw him crack a smile." He laughed at the memory. Sanada would probably stay home next time, definitely making room for Marui to come along. "I'll just have to bring you back stuff from New York. Hopefully that'll make up for you not being able to be there."
Of course Sanada would only enjoy cake if it was Japanese. Marui shook his head in disbelief, rolling his eyes at the thought. “God, that is so typical. I bet he refused to eat any of the French delicacies too. A wasted trip! A waste!” He banged his fist lightly on the table and pointed a determined finger towards his Captain, “that’s it. When we go, we are going to experience the best of EVERYTHING. We are going to make it happen Yukimura!”
Yukimura laughed. "I managed to get him to a number of French restaurants thanks to Adrian. Pretty sure he enjoyed at least a few of them." Especially the Guy Savoy. He smiled at Marui. "I'd love to take you around Paris. I'll make sure to get plenty of great recommendations so we can have the best."
“Yosh. Perfect. It’s a deal then,” Marui nodded decisively, feeling considerably better about not being able to attend the US Open and looking forward to Paris even more than he had been before.
What: Celebratory croquembouche & tea
When: A few days after Yukimura got back from Wimbledon
Where: Yukimura's apartment
Rating: G/PG
Yukimura stretched on the floor of his apartment taking a break from working on a concept for school. The landscape was coming together -- the Poison Garden made for fantastic inspiration. He felt around for his phone, remembering that it had vibrated to indicate a new message. Finally locating it, Yukimura read over the reminder on his phone. Marui would be coming over soon. Like in the next ten minutes soon.
With a groan, Yukimura picked himself off of the floor and tidied up. Art supplies put away, suitcase shoved into his closet, and water heating up in the kettle. Now all he needed to do was wait for his former teammate to show up.
A knock sounded on the door. Shave and a haircut.
Marui was stood outside, a large, nearly packed cakebox in his arms and a tote slung over his shoulder. His hair was pushed back out of his eyes by a thin hairband but other than that, he hadn’t changed a bit. A beaming smile lit up his face as the door opened, already excited to see his former captain. It had been a long time.
“Buchou~ Did you miss me?”
Yukimura had just turned off the kettle when the knock came. He gave his former teammate a warm smile when he opened the door. There was something to be said about familiarity. Marui didn't look any different other than the headband.
"Of course," Yukimura responded, ushering Marui inside the apartment. He closed the door behind Marui then headed back into the kitchen to prepare tea. "How much sugar would you like in your tea?"
“Two and a half.”
Marui followed him into the kitchen, glancing around the apartment curiously.
“How was the flight? You don’t even look tired, I’d be wiped after being on a plane so long. Last time I went to Europe, I was out for like, three whole days!” He was pouting a little, but the smile was soon back on his face as he set the cakebox down on the table, pulling out a chair and waiting to unveil his masterpiece in a box.
“Brought you something,” he sang.
Yukimura nodded and spooned the correct amount of sugar into the tea and stirred. "Flight was good. I slept about half of it then stayed up until we got back and slept some more until I was mostly back on Japan time." He set the mug of tea in front of Marui. "Plus I did some undereye mask thing because my sister said I looked like death. Super flattering," he added with a laugh.
Sitting down with his own mug, Yukimura poked at the cakebox. "After your surprise, I have some souvenirs for you."
“You should have taken photos,” he snickered, pulling the tea closer with a nod of thanks. “Urgh, you are super lucky. I can never sleep on planes so I end up the grouchiest person in the world when we get off.”
Marui paused, his eyebrows raised, surprised he had thought of him. But then he had been talking to him while he was over so he guessed it wasn’t too out of the blue. “I didn’t expect you to get me anything but thanks!”
Then Marui stood up, his hand hovering over the cakebox, “First though… the grand reveal. Ta da~”
He lifted the lid to reveal a small croquembouche, spun sugar delicately balancing over the delicious golden crispy cream puffs. Enough for one, or perhaps two.
"I don't want photos of me looking like a zombie in the tabloids. They take enough bad ones as it is with all their gossip mongering." Yukimura took a sip of tea. "Maybe the next time you fly, you should bring something with you, like a sleeping pill or a natural remedy like a lavender spray," he suggested then shrugged. "How could I not bring you back some British sweets?"
Yukimura watched as Marui lifted the box to reveal the croquembouche he had requested. "It looks delicious. Clearly you've upped your baking game over the years."
He reached over and plucked one of the cream puffs off of the tower then popped it into mouth. Absolutely amazing. "I hope you don't think I'm going to eat this all by myself," Yukimura said. "You have to taste your creation."
“Of course!" He pulled off a ball of pastry for himself, being careful so he didn’t topple the whole thing. “Mm… they’re good dipped in chocolate too, but the spun sugar makes you feel extra fancy.”
Marui leant forward on the table before nodding at Yukimura expectantly, “Come on then, let's see these British sweets!”
"Spun sugar is preferable." Yukimura smiled. He reached over to the shelf near his table and grabbed a medium-sized bag, placing it in front of Marui. "I tried to grab things you probably haven't had or haven't had in awhile."
Between the bags of Jelly Babies, various black currant-flavored items, Maltesers, and the abundance of a variety of Cadbury products, Yukimura figured Marui would be okay for a couple of days. Three at the most. "I hope you like them," he said, pulling off another cream puff.
“Ohh cool! I love Cadbury’s! I’ve found them a few times at foreign imported goods shops but this is awesome!”
He sorted through them eagerly, choosing a packet of maltesers and popping it open, already starting on the candy rather than the cream puffs. “Thanks Yukimura!”
Marui licked some of the chocolate off his fingers, taking a sip of his tea before shaking the packet in Yukimura's direction in offering. “Did you get to try any while you were over? What was your favourite dessert?”
"I see I selected well." Yukimura couldn't help but be amused and thankful that Marui enjoyed the treats. "I tried to stay away from desserts while in London." The same could not be said about Paris. "Next time I go, you'll have to give me some things I should try."
He took a long sip of tea then broke off some of the spun sugar from the tower. French desserts were the best.
“Oh definitely,” he hummed, “though I’ll only know them by reputation. Anyway, Wimbledon. How did it go? Did you see any wombles?” Of course, he already knew about the results, but he wanted to hear about it from Yukimura’s perspective.
Yukimura didn't mind that. There were plenty of foods that had great reputations, but that he doubted he would every try, due to his preferences. He shrugged at Marui's question. "Worse than the French. Quarterfinal exit," he said finally then paused. "A what?"
Marui clucked his tongue, waving it away, “you’ll do better next time.” He had endless confidence in Yukimura and it showed in the way he looked at him, unfaltering. “It’s just a blip. And what. A womble? They’re like… these mole rodent things that are supposed to live around Wimbledon. You didn’t see any then huh?”
He pouted a little, he’d never actually seen one.
"Of course I will," Yukimura said. After all, he was going to have a brutal new training regimen thanks to Yanagi. It better help him get past the quarterfinals at the US Open.
Marui's explanation of a womble didn't really help and Yukimura shook his head. "I don't think so, but you might ask Akaya. He was there too." After plucking another cream puff off the dwindling tower and eating it, he added, "Maybe An-chan and Liliadent saw one. If Zaizen did, he has footage, most likely. You should check with them as well."
“Ehhh maybe. That’s way too much effort though, I’ll probably forget.” He slumped in his chair as if to express how much he couldn’t be bothered to ask around, pouting further.
Yukimura looked at his former teammate then laughed. "Ask through your journal?" he suggested and took a small sip of tea. "You'll be able to ask everyone who was there that way. Genius idea, right?"
He said the last bit to snap Marui out of his funk. The redhead was incredibly intelligent; he just needed the reminder.
Marui blinked at him for a second and then snorted at his own foolishness, “well of course.”
Waving it away he continued, “anyway. What are your plans concerning summer? I need to start planning and a lot of it kind of depends on what everyone else is doing. Are you heading back home?”
"Good." Pleased that his plan worked, Yukimura ate another cream puff and thought about Marui's question. "After exams, I'm basically free until I leave for New York. There's obviously training, working at the florist, a few doctor's appointments," he ticked off. "When I'm here, I've been heading home on the weekend's if I'm not working, but most of the time, they come visit me. Mika enjoys Tokyo a lot, so she tries to come up whenever our parents will let her."
Yukimura leaned forward, holding his chin in his hand. "What are your plans for late-August, early-September?"
“I’m actually heading back home for most of the summer. I’ll be working at the bakery part time again.” Marui grinned at the thought, a smug expression on his face, “I can’t wait to show them how much better I’ve gotten. They’ll be sure to start selling some of my recipes.” He hummed thoughtfully, tapping a finger to his lips, “apart from that… I’m going down to Osaka for a couple days at the beginning of September I think? I haven’t finalized a date with Kenya yet. Why? You got something in mind? Oh wait, that’s before you head to New York right? Definitely come to the bakery on one of your weekends, you can charm my boss into giving me an extra long break.”
Winking at Yukimura, he took the last cream puff and held it out to him, “split the last one?”
Yukimura should have known that Marui would have already made plans for the summer break. That was the main downside of his tennis schedule. There wasn't a lot of time to plan in advance. "Of course they will. They should have from the beginning," he said. Marui was an excellent baker and had been for as long as Yukimura had known him. "I thought you might want to come to New York with me. For the US Open."
He waved his hand at the cream puff. "You go ahead. I've had more than enough."
“Ehh?? For real?” His eyes widened in shock at the offer, the cream puff wavering in the air as his offer registered. Marui frowned, slowly popping the last puff into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully as he stared at the table. “Mmm… When do you leave for it exactly?”
As much as he wanted to instantly accept, he had already asked if a summer position was open at the bakery. But he might be able to move things around… Osaka he could definitely move, it was his work commitment.
“I assume Yanagi would be coming too? Being your manager and all?”
Yukimura nodded. "I'm flying out the 22nd," he responded. "But it's not an issue if you can't come. There will be other tournaments if you'd rather skip this one and come to a different one. I promise it won't hurt my feelings."
Another nod. "Renji is coming, as is my sister. And Akaya, of course, since he'll be playing too. I haven't asked Sanada if he wants an escape plan yet."
He grimaced and shrugged, “honestly, I’m gonna have to let you know. I’ll find out if there’s anyone who can take over for me at work, but if there isn’t, I’ll have to raincheck. Sorry. I know it’s awkward.” Marui rubbed the back of his neck, already feeling guilty.
"No no, it's perfectly fine!" Yukimura said, shaking his head. "It was a spur of the moment question, so I'm not surprised you already have things arranged. Don't worry about it, okay? I'll just have to take you to Paris with me next year."
Marui brightened up at that, a sheepish tilt still lingering at the corners of his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck, “yeah that might be better. And hey, us two francophiles will be sure to have a blast.” He gently elbowed Yukimura, taking a quick glance at his face to make sure he really was okay with it. “I’ll be watching you and cheering you on anyway.”
"It gives you more time to prepare," Yukimura said. "You'll have to think of places you want to go to. I took Sanada to one of the patisseries that specializes in Japanese desserts. I think I even saw him crack a smile." He laughed at the memory. Sanada would probably stay home next time, definitely making room for Marui to come along. "I'll just have to bring you back stuff from New York. Hopefully that'll make up for you not being able to be there."
Of course Sanada would only enjoy cake if it was Japanese. Marui shook his head in disbelief, rolling his eyes at the thought. “God, that is so typical. I bet he refused to eat any of the French delicacies too. A wasted trip! A waste!” He banged his fist lightly on the table and pointed a determined finger towards his Captain, “that’s it. When we go, we are going to experience the best of EVERYTHING. We are going to make it happen Yukimura!”
Yukimura laughed. "I managed to get him to a number of French restaurants thanks to Adrian. Pretty sure he enjoyed at least a few of them." Especially the Guy Savoy. He smiled at Marui. "I'd love to take you around Paris. I'll make sure to get plenty of great recommendations so we can have the best."
“Yosh. Perfect. It’s a deal then,” Marui nodded decisively, feeling considerably better about not being able to attend the US Open and looking forward to Paris even more than he had been before.