There is a story behind this crazy little thing, actually. On the night I wrote this, I had just finished my first day of training for my first part-time job. One of the things the course covered was sexual harassment. I wondered if it would be considered harassment if the harassee wasn't resisting, and this idea popped into my head and would not let go. Because you know Niou would. Might be slightly AU, as I'm only familiar with American grocery stores and not Japanese ones. Points if you can tell me the series the OCs' names are from.

Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis.

Original date: July 2nd, 2007

Visual, Verbal, or Physical Harassment

Eight o'clock on a cool Tuesday night in September found one Yagyuu Hiroshi at what was perhaps one of the most dull places a person could be: the grocery store.

It wasn't any fault of his, really; he had a job there, after all. It wasn't like he minded, either-- it paid well, and the routine was welcome when he needed a break from all the other things happening in his life. Namely, a certain difficult-to-handle boyfriend of his.

In the corner of his eye, a flash of silver caught Yagyuu's attention. Out of instinct more than anything else, he turned to look. And there he was, off to his left: a boy in his late teens, spiky silver hair pulled back into a small ponytail, brown leather jacket worn out, browsing the produce section.

Speak of the devil, Yagyuu thought fondly. Despite constant protests that Niou Masaharu wore him out, Yagyuu really did enjoy the other's company. Niou had calmed down a bit since junior high, too, making him less uncontrollable. Yagyuu suspected that he himself had something to do with that.

Smiling a bit, Yagyuu calmly walked up until he was directly behind Niou. "Excuse me, sir, is there something I can help you with?" he asked in a teasing tone.

The other teenager turned around, confused at first, but then his eyes lit up and his lips curled upwards at the familiar face. The other strode forward towards Yagyuu.

"Well," he started, slowly wrapping his arms around the brunette's waist, "I was hoping I could find my boyfriend... And look, here he is."

Just because Niou had calmed down since junior high didn't mean he had been tamed.

"Masaharu," Yagyuu prodded. Behind it was the unheard question: Why did you really come here?

Niou sighed; Yagyuu had seen through him. "Mom saw that the fridge was bare and sent me to go pick up some stuff. Where's the lettuce?"

"Further down toward the end of this aisle," Yagyuu replied automatically. "You knew I would be here, didn't you."

"'Course." Niou smirked, tightening his grip on the other boy.

"Masaharu," Yagyuu repeated calmly, trying to ignore the constant distraction that was Niou's arms around his waist and the rising of his heartbeat. "I'm in the middle of work."

"What, so you can't fool around a little now?" Niou pouted.

Yagyuu was careful to keep his impassive face on, though he knew the other could see right through it. "As much as I would love to, while I'm at work, I should preferably be working."

Niou pursed his lips silently, eyes never leaving Yagyuu's. Finally, he relented. "Damn it, fine, you win," he sighed, pulling away from his boyfriend reluctantly. Then he grinned. "But y'know, Hiroshi," he started, slinging an arm around Yagyuu's shoulders, "if you could at least show me where some of the stuff on my mom's list is--"

"You know perfectly well where everything is, Masaharu," Yagyuu interrupted.

"Aw, c'mon," Niou complained, pulling Yagyuu closer. "Work with me here, will ya?"

Yagyuu calmly peeled Niou's hand off his shoulder. "Not here. You know, you could get accused of sexual harassment."

Niou cocked an eyebrow at him. "Damn, really? That's lame."

"It's the rules." Yagyuu turned to face Niou, giving the other's hand a discreet squeeze. "Later, okay? I promise."

Niou gazed solemnly at Yagyuu's face for a minute, before leaning over to plant a quick kiss on the other's cheek. "Later." Then the silver-haired boy took off down the aisle.

Yagyuu smiled at his back.

On the other end of the aisle, a lone figure watched them silently. Asuka couldn't hear what the pair had been saying, but she was able to read their body language well enough. The customer's very obvious advances, Yagyuu's impassive face, Yagyuu's polite but firm declinations... this could only be an example of...

Biting her lip, Asuka rushed off to the manager's office.

-o0o-

"Yagyuu. Can I speak with you alone for a minute?"

In the break room, Yagyuu turned around to face the owner of the voice. In the doorway, his manager, Ritsuko, was standing there with The Look on her face.

"...All right..." Confusion was evident in the teen's voice. Yagyuu followed Ritsuko to her private office, sitting down in the guest chair as she closed the door behind them.

"Now then," Ritsuko began as she sat down across from him. "I received an anonymous tip that you were being sexually harassed this evening. The employee said that she couldn't hear the conversation, but your body language was obvious." She leaned forward slightly. "I'd like you to tell me what happened."

"Sexually ha-- that was my boyfriend," Yagyuu blurted out.

Ritsuko only raised an eyebrow at him. "Your boyfriend?"

"Yes," Yagyuu replied, regaining his composure. "He can be a bit..." At this the teen trailed off, unable to find a word that properly suited Niou.

His manager frowned a bit. "In any case, sexual conduct of any kind in the workplace is disapproved of. I'll let you go this time, since you've been nothing but perfect until now," she said sternly, giving him another Look, "but if it should ever happen again..."

Yagyuu nodded. "I understand."

-o0o-

Yagyuu walked out of the grocery store, smiling when he saw a familiar silver-haired figure standing by the entrance.

"Masaharu."

"Hah?" Niou turned around.

Yagyuu smirked wryly. "Next time you have to go shopping... choose a different grocery store."

-OWARI-