AN: A bit of UTTERLY USELESS fun. For Viya, as an apology for my exclamation marks.

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"Yagyuu," Niou whispered, one night while the three of them were lying on Sanada's roof and looking at the stars and eating peanut butter right out of the jar and talking about the world.

Niou's wondering whisper was not a surprising thing. It was a usual occurrence--he'd come up with some question about life, the universe, or anything, and he'd ask. Sometimes it was witty, but sometimes it was profound, and Yagyuu and Sanada would have to lie quiet for long minutes while the night wind whispered around their toes, which stuck out from under the blanket because everyone always tried to hog it.

Then again, sometimes the question was absolutely pointless.

"Yagyuu," Niou whispered again, and Yagyuu heard the tone of voice that indicated it was going to be one of the profound questions, or one of the dreadfully pretty ones that made Yagyuu and Sanada lean over and kiss him as soon as it had left his lips free, and he waited.

Niou paused, a dreamy look all over his face, and his eyes reflecting the starshine and his hair shining like moonbeams. "Have you ever thought about being a little homeless girl selling matches on the street in 18th century France?"

Yagyuu and, on Niou's other side, Sanada sighed and answered "No," firmly and in unison.

"But why not?" Niou demanded. "I think Sanada-kun would be a very good matchgirl."

They waited for the laughing grin, which didn't come.

"Niou," said Sanada, "Are you quite well?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Niou answered absently, yawning.

"You've been reading strange things again, haven't you?" Yagyuu murmured, tucking the blanket in a little tighter.

"Noooo."

"You've been making Marui read strange things to you, haven't you."

"Not as such."

"How can he 'not as such' make Marui read things to him?" grumbled Sanada, tugging back the inch of blanket that Yagyuu had stolen.

"It's an art," said Yagyuu solemnly.

"Helped him with his homework is all," Niou yawned again.

"Which was"

"Listening to him read aloud in French."

"Niou, you don't KNOW French."

"Yeah, I know."

"Why'd he ask you, then?" asked Sanada.

"Because I don't mind when he stops in the middle of a sentence and mumbles about pronunciation to himself. He said he just wanted an audience so he didn't feel like a complete idiot, saying foreign words to no one."

Yagyuu just raised an eyebrow; Sanada stared. "And?" he asked.

"And then I made him translate it for me, because I was curious about why he kept doing the funny voices."

"What was it?"

"Some novel about people who are really sad," said Niou with all conviction. "And revolutionaries." Yagyuu and Sanada stared. "I didn't get it, though, so he sang me songs about wanting to know if I could hear the people sing, and being all alone again, and cheating guests out of their money." Niou grinned. "I liked that bit." Bemused silence fell. After a moment, Niou stabbed a finger at the sky. "Hey, look, if you look at the dark bits instead of the stars, that looks like Sanada's--" Sanada kissed him quickly. When he stopped, Niou said, "No, really, and that one--"

"Sanada, I think we want a bath," said Yagyuu. Niou stopped talking and looked at him with glinting, anticipating eyes.

"Alright," said Sanada, who knew that it was best to leave Niou to his doubles partner when he was in a mood like this.

"I brought Kirihara's bubble bath," said Niou happily. "Won it off him in a bet today."