convergence -- oneshot

[invisiblehabits]

Title: Convergence
Chapters: Oneshot
Author: invisiblehabits
Genre: Drama/Light angst/Light romance/AU
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Malexmale sex, language
Pairing: Ruki/Uruha
Disclaimer: If I owned them or made money off of this I sure wouldn’t be a student in tiny Sweden.
Summary: Uruha and Ruki are classmates, but they’re as different as night and day. Ruki is about to be suspended from school, but as a last resort Uruha is asked to help him get ready for graduation. Neither is happy with the arrangement, but can they find a way to get along and reach both their goals?

It was a bleak day. Heavy rain clouds littered the sky and a damp mist made the air blurry to look through. Uruha sighed and pulled the collar of his coat up higher around his neck, shivering slightly as the cold seeped through his clothes and into his body. He hated days like these, hated going outside at least. He would’ve much rather stayed inside to read Dostoyevsky or watch Wong Kar-wai movies, but school was calling him and he knew he couldn’t miss out on classes. Not as much for his own sake as for his mother’s.

She was the reason Uruha was a top student, her will dictating his desperate chase for high grades. Not a day went by when she didn’t remind him of the importance of his upcoming university entrance exams. It was all well-intended, but secretly Uruha was growing very tired of it. Not that he didn’t want to get into university, of course he wanted to, but somehow he just wished that he could be allowed to choose his own preferences.

“Uruha. Uruha!”
Biting back a sigh he turned towards his mother with a smile.
“Yes?”
“Did you bring lunch, dear?”
“I did, mother.”
“What did you bring?”
“Some sandwiches, very healthy ones. But I’ll be looking forward to dinner once I get home.”
His mother smiled affectionately and patted her tall son on the cheek.
“It’ll be waiting for you, sweetie. Good luck in school today.”
“Thank you.”

He could feel her eyes following him as he walked down the stairs and until he rounded the corner. There he stopped and leaned towards the wall, finally allowing the sigh to roll off his lips. She’d changed so much in the past few years, and not for the better. There wasn’t much left of the smiling carefree woman he remembered from his childhood. He missed her, he missed her a lot.

- - -

“Look, it’s the teacher’s pet!”
“How you doing, Uruha? Looking forward to the test today? Of course you are!”
“Another chance for the crammer to stand at the front of the class and be praised. Who knows, maybe the principal will drop by again.”

The laughter echoed across the school yard as Uruha walked past the boys, never once looking up at them. He was used to it. No one likes a swot, it was a fact he’d learnt long ago. It didn’t matter that he never bragged about it, everyone else did it for him. More than once had he been called up to the teacher’s desk to have it publicly announced that he’d gotten a full score on the test or that his latest essay had received the highest mark. Last time the principal himself had indeed dropped by to give his praise and inform everyone what a role model Mr. Takashima was.

What did it matter then that Uruha would’ve preferred to just sink through the earth and forget about it all?

Entering the classroom he took his seat at the front, where he could see the whiteboard perfectly, and brought out pen and paper to take notes. One by one the students dropped in and by eight sharp the teacher closed the door and begun the lecture. Twenty minutes later Uruha had written two full pages when the door burst open to reveal a short student in a ruffled uniform and with a bruise on the side of his jaw.

“Mr. Matsumoto, the class started twenty minutes ago.”
“Oh shut it, you should be pleased I showed up at all.”
“That’s no way to speak to your teacher!”
“My apologies, sensei.”
“Spare me your sarcasms or I’ll send you to the principal.”
“You want me to leave right now?”

Snickers and giggles could be heard throughout the classroom as Ruki pretended to leave the classroom once more. Everyone, including the teacher, knew that Ruki would not show up at the headmaster’s office unless someone escorted him and shoved him through the door. Unfortunately few were willing to take on the job, especially since Ruki had been suspended last year for hitting the janitor as he attempted to perform the task.

“Just sit down and try not to be a disturbance.”

There was a sickly content grin on Ruki’s face as he made a whole scene about noisily cross the classroom and drop into a chair at the back of his classroom. There he tossed his feet up onto the table with a bang and leaned back against the wall. Uruha paid him no attention as he reviewed his notes and made a few clarifications here and there before concentrating on the class again as the teacher took up where he’d been forced to leave off.

- - -

Nothing very interesting happened for the rest of the day. Ruki didn’t show up for the test, as expected, and Uruha finished it in half the permitted time, as expected. Naturally he remained in the classroom until the end just to go through it three times, making sure every answer was as well-written and accurate as it could possibly get. He had lunch alone and spent the rest of the free period reading in the library. That was where he got the note stating that the principal wanted to see him at the end of the day.

Thus Uruha headed over to the reception and announced his presence before going home. He was let in immediately and was very surprised to find Ruki sitting in there already. Apparently someone had managed to drag him in there despite it all.

“Mr. Takashima, please have a seat.”
Uruha did as asked and received a snort from his fellow student for his silent obedience.
“Mr. Takashima, I asked you to come in here today because I have a favour to ask of you.”
“Yes, Mr. Murakami?”
“I take it you know Mr. Matsumoto?”
“Yes, sir, we are classmates.”
“Well,” the principal fastened his eyes on Ruki who merely glared back at him. “Mr. Matsumoto has been failing his classes all year and I should probably suspend him from school altogether. However,” he returned his gaze to Uruha. “Mrs. Matsumoto is an old friend of mine and she has begged me to give her son a final chance at graduating.”
“I’m not sure I understand what that has got to do with me, sir...”
“He wants you to tutor me, you idiot!”

There was something positively disgusted in Ruki’s voice as he spat out the sentence. Uruha nearly got a whiplash injury in turning his head to look at his smaller classmate. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a shock, but the idea of tutoring someone like Ruki was...appalling.

“He’s right, Mr. Takashima,” Mr. Murakami confirmed and Uruha slowly turned his head back to stare at the headmaster. “You’re the top student of this school, your grades are impeccable and your behaviour exemplary. If anyone can straighten Mr. Matsumoto out, it’s you.”

This time Ruki giggled, a sound that would’ve sounded dorky coming from anyone else but now only sounded insolent.

“What’s so funny, Mr. Matsumoto?”
“Just the idea of him,” he gestured towards Uruha as if to prove his point, “’straightening’ me out.”

Uruha paled visibly, but even though he tried to say something, anything, to stop Ruki the words got stuck in his throat.

“What are you talking about, Mr. Matsumoto?”
“Don’t you know, sir? I thought it was common knowledge.”
“Ruki please,” Uruha whispered but was soundly ignored.
“You prodigy child is as far from straight as they get. If you want someone to ‘straighten me out’, you might want to choose someone who doesn’t want to fuck me up the ass.”

The blood rushed back to Uruha’s face at a dangerous speed, making his cheeks flare up in a violent blush. Years ago he’d been foolish enough to tell a fellow student, someone he’d thought to be a friend, that he’d realised he liked boys instead of girls. That ‘friend’ had taken it upon himself to spread the word all across school and such a stigma never went away. He had never confirmed it to anyone else, but the fact that he would blush like this every time the subject surfaced was proof enough.

Mr. Murakami frowned and glanced at Uruha, something dangling between dislike and disgust clearly visible in his eyes, and cleared his throat. Uruha felt like running back home and never return, but he was nailed to his seat and knew he would just have to live through yet another humiliation.

“Watch your language, Mr. Matsumoto, or I will have you suspended for the rest of the semester and you’ll be forced to retake the entire year.”

For once Ruki actually shut up; perhaps the idea of spending another year in school was more dreadful than anything else. Even spending time with a queer.

“As I was saying,” Mr. Murakami continued and turned back to a still blushing Uruha. “I would like you, Mr. Takashima, to tutor Mr. Matsumoto and make sure that he graduates at the end of this semester.”
“I’ll do my best, sir.”
“Good. And Matsumoto, if I hear that you have not showed up for your tutoring sessions you will be suspended. There’s only so much I can do as a favour for your mother.”
“Yes, sir...”
“Good, I’m glad we have an understanding. Dismissed.”

- - -

“I can’t believe you said that!”

They were standing outside the school building, the yard empty as every student had already fled the premises. Ruki was smoking and looked utterly unimpressed by the display of anger Uruha was showing off.

“What? That you’re a fucking fag? It’s the truth.”
“You didn’t have a right to just...just...”
“Just...toss it out like that? Jesus Christ, how do you manage when you can’t even speak.”
“Oh just shut it, I’m better at writing.”

For a second Ruki got something akin to appreciation in his eyes as he glanced up at the taller, but it was gone so quickly Uruha was sure he’d imagined it all. Ruki was a rebel and as asshole, he didn’t hand out appreciative glances at prissy teacher’s pets.

“So how do we set this shit up?”
Uruha looked confused and Ruki rolled his eyes.
“I thought you were supposed to be the smart one here. You’re suppose to tutor me, or did my malice completely kill your short term memory?”
“What the hell makes you think I’ll tutor you after what you just did?!”

The change was immediate and so sudden Uruha had no idea what happened. Ruki might be small, but before the taller had a chance to comprehend what was going on it was him pressed up against the wall Ruki had just been leaning on. The cigarette was still dangling from the rebel’s lips and he had a vicious grip around Uruha’s jugulum. It wasn’t enough to cut off air, but it was more than enough to be threatening.

“You’ll do it because you were told to do it, cause we all know precious little Uruha always does as he’s told.”

The words stung a lot more than Ruki knew, but Uruha didn’t object as he was released. Rubbing the skin where Ruki’s fingers had gripped him he merely nodded slowly. He would do it, it was what was expected of him.

“Good, cause I sure as hell ain’t spending another year here because of you.”
“Not my fault you need the tutoring to begin with...”
It was barely a mumbled, but it caused Ruki to chuckle.
“You’ve got more guts than you let on. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Yeah...tomorrow.”

Tossing the finished cigarette to the grown the smaller shoved his hand down his pockets and headed towards the exit. Uruha wasn’t sure, but it sounded like he was humming or whistling something under his breath. Rubbing his throat again the taller tried to shrug off the discomfort he was feeling. Ruki’s mood swings were freaky and if half the rumours about him were true he was flat out dangerous to piss off.

“How the hell did I get caught up in this...?”

- - -

Unsurprisingly Ruki didn’t show up to a single class the following day and Uruha figured the other had merely been pulling his leg the entire time. It was just like Ruki to mess up your existence and disappear like a dandelion cypsela in the wind. He wasn’t sure if it made it easier or harder to focus though, because every lesson he kept checking the back of the classroom and the door to see if Ruki would be there.

By the end of the day he felt rather exhausted for no apparent reason. It seemed like constantly looking for someone was a lot more tiresome that it sounded like. Uruha wasn’t used to looking for people, normally he was always alone. Thus he was entirely unprepared for the hand landing on his shoulder the second he stepped outside the schoolyard and an undignified shriek tumbled across his lips as he spun around.

“You scared me!” he blurted accusingly.
Ruki chuckled, a sound Uruha was getting uncomfortably familiar with.
“Got your attention though.”
“What do you want?”
“You’re suppose to tutor me, remember?”
“You haven’t even been to class today!”
A slim eyebrow rose in a questioning manner.
“That’s why you’re tutoring me.”
“How do you expect me to tutor you if you don’t even care?”
“Not my problem. It’s your job to get me to pass, not the other way around.”
Uruha sighed and rolled his eyes, not believing he was hearing what he was hearing.
“I’m tired, I’m going home.”
“Fine, I’m not about to hang around here after skipping classes all day.”

Trying to ignore the other Uruha started walking again, but Ruki merely followed. For a split second he considered running, hoping his longer legs would carry him away and to safety, but figured it would seem stupid. Ruki had made it clear yesterday that he got what he wanted. Right now he wanted Uruha to tutor him, for whatever reason, and he wanted it done at Uruha’s own house. It made Uruha feel uncomfortable, but it didn’t seem like he had much of a choice. He didn’t have it in him to argue or say know and unfortunately Ruki was very aware of that flawed feature.

The walk was silent except for the shorter’s constant in- and exhales on the three cigarettes he managed to breathe in over the fifteen minutes. Uruha didn’t particularly mind, but as they were about to round the corner and come into view from his house he stopped and put a hand on Ruki’s shoulder.

“Finish that one.”
“Why?”
“Because my mum will see us once we round the corner.”
“So?”
“She doesn’t like smoking.”
“...so?”
“Goddamnit Ruki! It’s bad enough you smell like a fucking chimney, could you at least not smoke on my front step?”
Once again that amused, almost appreciative, look appeared in the deep brown eyes and after a final drag Ruki dropped the butt to the ground.
“There, happy princess?”

Uruha merely snorted and walked the final distance to the front door. As always his mother was waiting just inside the door and she sent Ruki a questioning look. Uruha nervously chewed the inside of his cheek as he untied his shoes and hung his jacket on the designated place before going over to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Good afternoon, mother.”
“Hello dear, who is your friend?”
He was about to object to the term, but Ruki beat him to opening his mouth.
“Good day, Mrs. Takashima. My name is Ruki, I’m a classmate of Uruha’s and he has graciously agreed to tutor me since my intellect is not quite as brilliant as your son’s.”

Uruha was certain he looked absolutely dumbstruck at that moment. Never in his life had he expected to hear such word leave Ruki’s mouth. They were far more eloquent and polite than anything he’d ever heard the other utter previously and it made him wonder why and how Ruki had ended up where he was today.

“How wonderful!” his mother exclaimed and turned towards him. “I’m so proud of you, Uru!”
He smiled faintly as she turned back towards Ruki again.
“You’re in good hands, Ruki. Uruha is such a bright boy, he’s sure to help you understand everything.”
“Mother, please...”
“What? Now, now; up you go. Do you want some dinner in a little while, Ruki?”
“I don’t want to cause trouble, Mrs. Takashima.”
Uruha made a noise, something between a laugh and a cough, at the statement and his mother gave him a weird look.
“It’s no trouble at all, dear. Uruha and I are having dinner and there’s plenty left for you.”

She smiled at them as Ruki bowed his head in acceptance and followed Uruha up the stairs. The owner of the house felt even more uncomfortable now than before. The Ruki he knew from school was rough and rude, a rebel to the core and wouldn’t yield to anything or anyone. The Ruki who had just spoken to his mother was the complete opposite; polite, considerate and tactful. It made him confused and Uruha hated feeling confused.

“You’re like a high school movie cliché,” Ruki burst out as they entered his room. It was a snide comment, clearly indicating the heaps of books littering every available surface and the complete lack of juvenile belongings such as posters, dirty clothes and video games or CDs. There wasn’t even a CD-player in there.

Ruki walked around, lifting up books to look at them and discarding them just as quickly. “You actually read this shit?”

“They’re classics!” Uruha defended himself and hurried to pick up the dropped items, putting them back in the semi-order his overfilled bookshelves required. “I like them...”

“They’re not even in Japanese.”
“So? You are able to read English, right?”
“Somewhat.”
“You serious? You don’t know English?”
It was hard to tell if the smile on Ruki’s lips was genuine or one of disbelief.
“What makes you think I’m any better at English than math or biology?”

Hanging his backpack neatly over the chair by his desk Uruha took a seat and looked at his unasked for companion.

“What do you know, Ruki?”
“Survival.”
Uruha frowned.
“I can read and write, don’t worry. I just don’t enjoy it.”
“So what do you want to do with your life?”
Ruki shrugged.
“Who knows, I guess I’ll wait and see what life throws at me next.”
He paused and looked over at his current host.
“Right now it’s you, so what are you going to do to teach me what I need to know in order to graduate?”
Uruha sighed and leaned his head in his hands, elbows resting on the desktop.
“You’re unbelievable. You skip every class for the entire day, then follow me home and ask me to help you graduate even though you didn’t bring a single book with you.”
“Why should I, you’ve got everything we need right here.”

Looking up Uruha noticed Ruki was gesturing towards his school shelf. It contained all the books they’d been using all year, plus a large amount of extra course literature he’d been using to get the highest grades possible. Ruki was right, he did have everything they needed.

“It would’ve been nice to see some dedication on your behalf.”
“Don’t ask for miracles, princess.”
“Would you stop calling me that!”
Another chuckle.
“Why?”
“Because it’s offensive.”
“I am offensive.”
“I’ve noticed...”
“So, shall we?”

- - -

Three hours later Uruha was surprised he hadn’t been beaten black and blue by Ruki. He was also fairly certain that he would jump out in front of a bus rather than repeat this tomorrow and every day after that until graduation day. Because the past hours had made it obvious that they had a lot of work ahead of them if Ruki was indeed going to graduate this year.

It wasn’t that the other was stupid, not at all, he just didn’t care. Or perhaps he thought he was stupid, there was a nagging feeling at the back of his head telling Uruha that someone had told Ruki he was incapable. Maybe not in so many words, but something was blocking the shorter’s ability to take in what was written out right before his eyes.

“Enough already, I need a smoke.”
“I told you, you can’t smoke where my mum can see you.”
“Which is why I’m going home! Jesus Christ, I haven’t had a cigarette in three fucking hours and you expect me to understand this shit?”

He got up from the chair and shrugged the jacket back onto his shoulders. Just getting him to sit down by the desk had taken Uruha twenty minutes and he was starting to wonder if that was the only accomplishment they’d made today.

“It’s not even that hard.”
“For you maybe.”
“We did this last year...”
“News flash, I didn’t exactly pay attention last year either.”

Sighing for the umpteenth time Uruha too stood up and stretched, causing the vertebras in his back to pop. Ruki frowned at the sound and headed for the door but stopped with his hand on the door handle.

“Are we doing this again tomorrow?”
Uruha was actually surprised that he asked, somehow he had expected Ruki to give up after today.
“We have to if you’re going to graduate.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
He opened the door and stepped outside.
“Ruki!”
Uruha rounded the desk and walked over to the door.
“Are you coming to class tomorrow?”
The other shrugged.
“No idea, depends on how I feel.”
“You need to go to class if you’re to make this.”
“Whatever.”

That was it, no goodbyes and no thank you; he merely trotted down the stairs and jumped into his shoes. Uruha followed him down but the front door slammed shut before he had a chance to say anything else.

The noise alerted his mother who joined him from the kitchen.

“Was that Ruki leaving?”
“Yes.”
“It’s really nice of you to help him, dear.”
“Hm.”
“Now, now; no frowning. Do you want a cup of tea before going to bed?”
“Yes, please.”
Turning around he headed back upstairs but was stopped by his mother’s voice before he got halfway.
“Uruha, did you finish your homework too?”
“No, I didn’t have time because I was helping Ruki with his work.”
A frown appeared on her face.
“Then you need to do that before having tea, your school work can’t suffer because of this.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t tutor Ruki then, it’s going to take a lot of time.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! This is going to look great on your CV, it’s just the thing you need for when you apply to university.”
Closing his eyes he sighed inwardly.
“You’re right mother, I’ll go finish my home work right away.”
“Good boy, call me when you want me to put the tea on.”
“I will.”

Walking back to his room Uruha closed the door and once more sat down by his desk. It was already eight o’clock and he was tired, but he nonetheless picked up his school books and spent a few hours more on his homework. Briefly he wondered what Ruki was doing, but thinking of his classmate only made him angrier. Had it not been for him and his failed classes he could be reading something funnier right now.

- - -

“Do you get it?”
“No.”
“Ruki!”

Uruha got up from his chair and took a tour around the room just to calm himself. It was their fourth day working on the same thing, but nothing he said seemed to get passed Ruki’s skull. Every day they’d meet up after school, regardless of whether Ruki’d been to class or not, and head over to Uruha’s house. His mother would great them and offer dinner that they’d accept, then they spent a few hours bent over books that Uruha was fairly certain he knew by heart by now.

“What is it you don’t understand?!”
He was passed being pedagogic and nice.
“The point of knowing this shit.”
Ruki didn’t even raise his voice and still his reply sounded defiant and final.
“It’s history, it’s important!”
“Why? It’s already happened, it’s done, there’s nothing I can do to change it or affect the outcome; why should I bother learning it?”

For a second Uruha got tongue-tied. There was something strangely logical about Ruki’s reply that made it hard to argue against it. And at the same time he knew history was important and that you could learn important lessons from it.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
“Meaning?”
“It’s a quote. By George Santayana.”
“Who?”
“He was an American philosopher, well he was born in Spain but either way. It means that you must remember what has happened in the past if you want the future to be different from it.”

This time it was Ruki who didn’t reply and when Uruha looked up from the spot on the floor he’d been staring at it was to find an almost contemplating look on the other’s face.

“You know...that almost makes sense.”
A tiny flicker of hope was lit inside Uruha.
“It does?”
“...yeah.”
He walked back to the desk and retook his seat.
“So, do you want to look at this again?”
“Sure.”

- - -

“So you’re saying that if I do it like this and divide it by pi, I get the result?”
“Yes! That’s right!”
Uruha burst out in a short laughter.
“Hm, never thought I’d actually understand a math problem.”
“You’re a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for, Ruki.”

It was their third week of studying together. Surprisingly enough Ruki had showed up almost every day and his attendance in class had improved steadily. He still skipped classes and the length of their tutoring sessions varied dramatically depending on the shorter’s mood, but they were definitely making progress.

“If you say so.”
“It’s true, you solved this problem almost completely on your own.”

Ruki made a nondescript sound for a reply and scratched the back of his head. It was a sign Uruha had learnt to interpret over the past weeks. Glancing towards the door of his room he made up his mind and got up from his chair. Walking over to the bedside table he retrieved a box of incense and then headed over to the window. Picking up the old flowerpot there he brought it back to the desk.

“You can smoke through the window if you want to.”
There was a look of utter shock on Ruki’s face.
“What about your mother?”
“Well, I figured you might be able to concentrate better if you get to smoke every once in a while, so I bought some incense. It should cover up the smell pretty well, right?”
Ruki smiled and stood up.
“Yeah, I think it will.”

He walked over to the window and opened it. Sitting down in the windowsill he brought up the package from his pocket and lit up. A look of relief crossed his face at the first deep inhale. Uruha just looked at him, not quite sure what to do for the minutes it took to finish the stick.

“Hey Uruha?”
Ruki wasn’t looking at him, but there was something strange with his voice.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks...”
Uruha smiled.
“You’re welcome.”

- - -

“I passed the test.”
“You did?!”
“Yup.”

They were standing outside school and Ruki was smoking. Yesterday they’d had a history test and Uruha had been slightly worried about the results. Over the past few weeks Ruki’s attitude towards school had changed dramatically, but he was still mostly the same when it came to his official attitude. However, he had showed up for the test and apparently he had passed it all on his own. He seemed slightly shocked himself.

“I knew you would.”
“No you didn’t.”
Uruha actually had the decency to blush.
“Well, I was hoping you would.”
“I did.”
“Yeah.”
He hesitated for a second.
“I’m proud of you Ruki.”

That definitely put a look of shock on the shorter’s features. The hand guiding the cigarettes paused halfway to his lips and he looked up at his tutor. Sometimes Uruha wondered if it would be safe to call them friends nowadays, but aside from the tutoring sessions it was rare for the two of them to spend time like this.

“What?”
“No one’s ever said they’re proud of me...”

Now it was Uruha’s time to get shocked. True his mother was a bit obsessed with course work and results, but she often said she was proud of him and he knew that the words were genuine. It made him realise just how little he knew of Ruki. He’d never been to the other’s house, didn’t even know where he lived, and he had no idea what his home situation looked like. Perhaps he should’ve guessed that it wasn’t the best, considering Ruki’s general attitude towards life, school and other people.

“Hey Ruki!”

His thoughts were interrupted by the voice calling out to his companion. Looking up he noticed some of Ruki’s friends walking over. They were all bad eggs, skipping classes and getting into fights just like Ruki himself. Uruha had never liked any of them and despite his newfound semi-friendship with Ruki himself he could not sustain any gentle feelings towards them.

“What are you doing with the crammer, huh?”
“I heard you passed the history test, congratulations.”
Ruki raised an eyebrow and finally took the postponed drag on his cigarette.
“Jealous?”
The other laughed.
“Why would I be? I’m not about to turn into a teacher’s pet.”
“No, you’re going to jail just like your brother.”

Anger flared in the other’s eyes and Uruha tensed up nervously. He didn’t like fights and, more importantly, Ruki couldn’t afford to get into more trouble. Sure he was attending more classes and yes he had passed that one test, but he was most likely still hanging by in a thread. A fight in school just might be the thing to tip the scales and get him kicked out, then all their work would’ve been for nothing.

“What did you say, you piece of shit?!”
“I said; you’re going to jail like your brother.”
Ruki casually took another drag and blew the smoke more or less in the face of his taller friend.
“I should beat the shit out of you!”
“You could try, as I recall it was I who beat the shit out of you last time.”
“Why you!”

The guy took a swing that Ruki easily avoided by leaning to the side, causing the fist to slam directly into the brick wall. He howled in pain but looked like he was about to make a second assault nonetheless. Thankfully their third friend grabbed hold of him.

“Calm down man.”
“Yeah...”

Everybody’s eyes turned towards Uruha who blushed at the sudden attention. He wasn’t used to speaking up or being noticed, normally he would just ignore them and keep walking.

“You shouldn’t fight in school, in fact you shouldn’t fight at all. It’ll only get you in trouble.”
“Shut up, faggot,” the aggravator spat.
“Yeah,” his friend agreed. “No one asked your opinion.”
“Leave him out of it.”
Both of them turned to Ruki with questioning glares.
“You’re defending him?!”
“He’s got nothing to do with this. If you want to settle scores I’ll meet you after school, right now I haven’t got time for your bullshit.”
“You’ll regret this, Ruki.”
“Bring it on.”

Flickering the rest of the cigarette to the side the short man just walked away. Uruha was uncertain of what to do, but he wanted to get away from the accusing glares suddenly directed at him so he hurried to catch up with the other.

“Why did you do that?”
“What?”
“You defended me...”
“Yeah, so?”

Uruha didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t even remember the last time someone had defended him publicly, it certainly hadn’t happen since his sexuality was revealed. For Ruki to be the one to step of for him, the merely suggestion would’ve made him laugh had anyone suggested it a few weeks ago.

“Where are you going?” he asked as he realised they were heading for the school gates.
“Away.”
“What about class?”
“Fuck class, I’m pissed off and I need to get away.”
He stopped in his tracks and merely watched as Ruki continued down the sidewalk.
“Ruki!”
The shorter actually halted.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you...”
For a second Uruha thought he wouldn’t get a reply.
“Don’t mention it.”
“Will I see you after school?”
“Sure.”
“Are you going to get into a fight?”
“Not if I can help it.”

It wasn’t the reply he’d been hoping for, but there wasn’t much Uruha could do to stop Ruki if he wanted to fight. He sighed as the other continued walking and eventually disappeared out of sight. Looking over his shoulder he noticed the others had left as well. At least he wouldn’t get in trouble at the moment.

- - -

He waited for forty-five minutes after the final class was over, but Ruki never showed. His mother threw a fit about him being late once he got home, but blaming it on a discussion with a professor got him off the hook. She didn’t allow him to have a cell phone, apparently they were distracting, and so she couldn’t blame him for not calling.

Dinner was an unusually silent event, the only real conversation concerned his full score on the test, and once he got back up to his room Uruha found it hard to focus on his homework. He wondered where Ruki was, if he was alright and if he would go back to his old habits now. It surprised him that he wasn’t thinking about himself and the work he’d put into teaching Ruki, no he was worried about Ruki messing up his own life. He wasn’t sure when his attitude towards the tutoring and his classmate had changed like that.

Shrugging the thoughts off he went back to his books and attempted studying, succeeding remotely well until he heard something hitting the window. It was the same window Ruki usually sat in when he smoked, something that had turned into a habit during their sessions. Walking over he looked outside and saw mentioned boy standing in the shadows beneath it.

“What are you doing?” he asked once he got the window open. “Why didn’t you just knock on the door?”
Ruki chuckled hollowly and dried something off the side of his mouth.
“I doubt you want your mum to see me like this.”
It was too dark for Uruha to see properly, but he had a fairly good idea what Ruki was referring to.
“I’ll be right down.”

Closing the window again he sneaked down the stairs and peaked into the living room. His mother was watching television and looked rather absorbed in whatever she was viewing. Carefully he tiptoed over to the front door and opened it, sending a silent thank you to whatever higher might made sure it didn’t squeak.

Ruki looked awful. His lip was split open and a line of dried blood went down the side of his chin, his nose looked like it’d been bleeding and the uniform that he still wore was dirty and torn in a few places. Biting back the gasp Uruha placed a finger over his lips in a silencing gesture and pulled the other inside. They hurried back upstairs and nothing indicated that they’d been detected.

“What happened to you?!” Uruha asked once he’d closed the door behind them.
“What does it look like?”
Ruki took the liberty of throwing himself across the spacious bed.
“Are you okay?”
“I’ve been worse, don’t worry.”

To someone who wasn’t used to seeing people beaten up it was kind of hard to imagine a worse state that didn’t involve severe injury, hospitals or possible death. Uruha nervously stepped back and forth on the spot, not sure what to say or do.

“Would you stop that, you’re making me nervous.”
“Sorry.”
He stilled his feet, but instead begun fiddling with his hands.
“Uruha, stop it.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just... I’ll get a first aid kit to clean you up.”

Before Ruki had a chance to protest he darted out of the room and into the bathroom. Leaning against the door he tried to catch his breath and get over the shock of seeing the other in such a state. Finally he opened the bathroom cabinet and found the green kit, then headed back to his room where Ruki had moved to the window. It looked familiar seeing him there, smoking away as if they were merely taking a break in their studies. But the lighting outside was wrong, Ruki still wore his shoes and Uruha’s eyes kept going back to the cuts on his face.

“Come here.”

Taking a seat by his desk he gestured for Ruki’s chair. After a second the other complied. Uruha carefully cleaned the blood from Ruki’s face and hands where a few knuckles had burst open. It looked painful but he didn’t even flinch as antiseptics were applied and he denied the offer of band aids or gauze.

“Why did you come here?” Uruha asked once there was nothing else for him to do.
“Don’t know, I needed to go somewhere.”
He finally looked up and met Ruki’s gaze dead on. It made him slightly uncomfortable.
“Why didn’t you go home?”
A sneer told him it’d been a stupid question, but he had no idea why.
“Wouldn’t do me much good.”
“Why not?”

Ruki sighed and got up from his seat. He pulled his fingers through his hair as he headed back to the window and lit up another smoke. Silence lingered for a while, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as it usually was.

“Not everyone has parents like yours, Uruha.”
He lowered his head for a second, slightly ashamed of the thoughts that crossed his mind.
“I know your mum puts a lot of pressure on you, that she dictates your life and won’t let you do what you want.”
Uruha’s head snapped back up and his mouth was open in shock as he stared at the other.
“How did you...?”
Ruki smiled, though it was more of a smirk.
“I’ve been coming here for weeks; it’s hard not to notice.”
Uruha felt even more ashamed, he hadn’t wanted Ruki to know that detail. Thought he’d hid it well.
“And still, she supports you in her own way. And she loves you.”
“I’m sure your parents love you too, Ruki.”
“Then why did they abandon me?”

Uruha frowned and tipped his head to the side. He didn’t understand the question, and still it was a fairly simple one. Ruki had a home; he might not speak of it a lot but Uruha had gathered enough to know he wasn’t living alone.

“Several years ago my parents moved out of town and left me behind. I came home from school and the house was empty, they’d cleared it in a single day. Didn’t even leave a note.” He chuckled lifelessly again. “I was thirteen at the time and already a troublemaker, guess they got tired of it and took off. Been shoved around foster homes ever since.”

Uruha couldn’t believe what he war hearing. He couldn’t even imagine what it must’ve felt like for Ruki to come home to an empty house like that. It explained a lot about why Ruki didn’t give a damn, or so he supposed. Would he care what happened to him if he’d been abandoned like that? He wasn’t sure. Naturally he liked to think that he would, but he guessed he was pretty lucky to have someone supporting him both materially and emotionally.

“I’m sorry, Ruki. I had no idea...”
“Why would you? I never told anyone...”
He threw the butt out the window and Uruha didn’t even care if his mother would find it in the morning.
“And your foster home isn’t a good one either?”
Another sneered smirk and another lit cigarette.
“They don’t beat me, that’s a plus. But they bitch and scream a lot, especially when I get in trouble.”

He fell silent as he finished his smoke and to his embarrassment Uruha didn’t know what to say. What did you say to comfort someone after such a revelation? To think that he’d been upset about his own situation, simply because he himself didn’t know how to tell his mother to give him a little room to breathe. All she ever did was look out for him; Ruki didn’t have anyone to look out for him. He only had himself.

The sound of the window closing alerted him to the fact that the other was done smoking. He looked up to see Ruki walking against him. The shorter came to a stop right in front of him, too close to be entirely comfortable but Uruha didn’t try to back away. Hesitantly Ruki reached out and touched his face, definitely an awkward gesture but he found himself leaning into the touch nonetheless.

“If it wasn’t for you I think they would’ve thrown me out by now.”
“What did I do?”
Ruki smiled. Smiled, not smirked.
“You straightened me out.”
“Too bad.”

He bit his lip as he realised what he’d just said and lowered his eyes. It had never been his intention to say such a thing, it could be interpreted in all the wrong ways. In fact...he wasn’t sure it could be interpreted in a right way. Did he even want it to?

“Have you ever been with someone, Uruha?”
“What do you mean?”
He still didn’t dare to raise his eyes and a blush was slowly blooming up on his cheeks.
“Have you had sex?”
“No...”
It was hardly more than a whisper.
“Can I stay the night?”

When he nodded, despite himself and despite the fact that it was a school night, the hand disappeared from his face. He kept his eyes lowered and tried to swallow to get rid of the dryness in his throat. He had no idea what he was doing, what he was supposed to expect from here on.

There was a rustle of clothes and he wasn’t sure if he should blush profoundly or pale to the limit of passing out. But nothing happened. Finally he looked up through the strands of long hair that had fallen down across his face. Ruki was lying in his bed, underneath the covers, and he was looking straight at him. Their eyes locked for several moments, but then Ruki turned around and faced the wall. It seemed he was going to sleep.

“If you change your mind just kick me out, it’s not like it would be the first time.”

Uruha knew he wasn’t referring to him, but rather to how he had been treated in the past. That made up his mind, or parts of it at least. Slowly he stood up and undressed down to his boxers. Then he hesitated, remembering his mother downstairs. Leaving the room he went to brush his teeth and called goodnight to her before heading back. There he turned off the light and finally slipped beneath the covers, careful not to touch the other.

“Covering your bases?”
“I...I don’t want her to come looking for me, wondering what I’m doing.”
“Does she know?”
“Know what?”
“That you’re gay.”

He didn’t get an answer and like always that was confirmation enough.

- - -

Uruha had no idea why he’d woken up. It was still night and he should be sleeping, but something was off. Staring up into the darkness he tried to figure out what, but it wasn’t until he moved that he remembered. Ruki. Ruki was in his bed and there was no longer any distance separating them. He froze. Ruki was pressed against his side with one arm slung across his chest and it felt...nice.

“I know you’re awake.”

He gasped at the almost whispered words. In the darkness Ruki’s hoarse voice seemed even deeper, a tad bit dangerous in just the right way. Uruha’s voice got dry instantly and he found it slightly hard to breath.

“Why did you do it?”
“Wha-“
He cleared his throat and tried again.
“What do you mean?”
“Why did you let me stay? No one told you to let me stay, I asked and you agreed.”

There was a significant difference there, yes. This whole adventure had started out because Uruha had been told to tutor Ruki and he’d continued to do it because it was expected of him. But that wasn’t the whole truth. Somewhere along the line he’d started to enjoy it, both the tutoring and the company, and in the end he alone had taken the decision of letting Ruki spend the night. Without asking his mother, without thinking of what would happen if she or anyone else found out.

“I don’t know... Why did you ask if you could?”
A movement indicated that Ruki had tried to shrug.
“I don’t know. Because I wanted to.”

Ruki’s fingers were making a slow pattern on his chest, just the fingers without the hand moving. It made Uruha’s skin tingle pleasantly and he could feel goose bumps break out on his arms. At the same time he was dead afraid, but he had no idea what of.

“Why...why did you ask me if I’d have sex?”
He didn’t get an immediate answer.
“I don’t know, suppose I wanted to know.”
Another silence, longer this time.
“Do you want to?”
Uruha tensed.
“Want what?”
“Do you want to have sex?”
“With you...?”

The question was barely audible in the darkness, but Ruki obviously heard it. His hand stilled and moved, his body shifted until he was lying slightly on top of Uruha’s chest. Uruha could barely make out his face in the darkness, but every now and then a few hints of impossible light would reflect in those dark eyes. Ruki was looking at him, no doubt.

“Yes, with me.”
“But...you’re not gay, are you?”
There was a slight silence.
“I never was before...”
“Why now? Why me?”
“You’re kind to me. You...believe in me.”

He wasn’t sure if it was a good answer or not, all he knew was that the lips suddenly covering his felt too good to argue. Ruki was completely dominating the kiss, but though it was intense it was still surprisingly gentle. A moulding of lips, careful nips with teeth, a soft caress of a tongue to ask for entrance rather than demanding it. Uruha was out of his league, but he automatically parted his lips and whimpered slightly as their tongues touched.

Uruha was the first to move his hands though. They been resting motionlessly by his sides, but as the kiss grew deeper he brought them up and wrapped them around Ruki’s slim neck to pull him closer. Ruki shifted once more until he was lying fully on top of Uruha, his small frame preventing him from squishing the other. It felt his hands free and he let them flutter up and down Uruha’s sides, discovering new territories and treading grounds he never had before.

It sort of tickled, but it was a nice sensation that caused Uruha to shiver pleasantly. He carefully threaded his fingers through Ruki’s short hair and briefly wondered how the hell it all came to this. But Ruki broke the kiss and he whimpered at the loss. He felt like a cry baby, but all these new and unexpected things were overwhelming him more than a little bit.

Ruki was panting slightly against his cheek, lips caressing it softly before kissing along the jaw line. Lower, down along the neck and pulse point where he stopped momentarily to suckle just hard enough. It caused Uruha to gasp and writhe slightly underneath the smaller body. That in turn caused friction that had Ruki hissing and biting down on the flesh beneath his lips. Uruha would never have believed it of himself, but the slight pain drew the first moan from his lips.

He moaned and arched into the body on top of his own, wanting more of all that Ruki was offering. Ruki complied and moved lower; let his tongue draw a wet line down the neck and over the collarbone where he grazed his teeth against the sensitive skin. Lower still across an unclad chest until he could let his tongue flicker over a hardening nipple.

Uruha was on fire, he felt like he was losing his mind from the mouth latched on to his chest. Ruki was licking, sucking, biting his nipple in all the right ways. Teasing him with pleasure that promised more yet wouldn’t move on. He wanted to moan, cry out and beg, but he feared that if he begun he wouldn’t be able to stop. His right hand was still tangled in Ruki’s hair; the other was gripping his arm tightly in a near desperate way.

The by now oversensitive nipple was finally released; only to have slightly rough fingers start to toy with it instead. Uruha bit his lip hard and hissed, then moaned as the skilled mouth fastened itself onto the so far neglected nub. He had no idea how much time had passed when Ruki finally gave up his task of driving him insane and continued his journey downward. What he knew was that he was by now painfully hard and his throat was starting to hurt with his attempts to not make too much noise.

Ruki nipped his way down across his stomach, circled the belly button with his tongue and briefly dipped into it. He was breathing hard by then, hot air hitting saliva to cause a chilling sensation that spread like electricity through Uruha’s veins. He all but sobbed as the shorter came to a stop just at the waistband of his boxers, the only article of clothing he wore to bed. Suddenly the full meaning of what was happening hit him and he broke out in violent shivers.

Within seconds Ruki was back up by his face, caressing it and kissing his lips reassuringly. It was no less intense than before, rather the other way around, but it felt safer.

“Please tell me you want to do this?”
There was something pleading in his voice.
“Do you want to?”

His only response was hips grinding down into his own, nothing but two thin layers of cloth separating their arousals as they rubbed together. It was a sensation unlike any other, for both of them. Ruki groaned loudly, too loud perhaps, and captured Uruha’s lips again to silence himself. It had the double effect of muffling Uruha’s moans as well and he clawed at Ruki’s shoulders in a futile attempt to hang on to some kind of sane reality.

“Ruki...ngh...fuck!”
He didn’t know if he wanted to talk or kiss, so he unsuccessfully tried to do both.
“Do you have anything to use for...you know?”

It took a second for the words to sink in and a couple more for his brain to make sense of them. Then Uruha blushed once more and reached for the bedside table, somehow managing to reach it without Ruki having to get off his chest. He pulled it out and the other reached inside, grinning when he found not only lube but something that felt a lot like a vibrator. Deciding to play nice, for once, he ignored the toy and only brought out the bottle of lubricant.

Then he performed a speed version of his previous actions, kissing and licking his way back down Uruha’s body. Adept fingers sought out every possibly spot that made him jump and gasp until Uruha wondered just where Ruki had learnt it all. His nervousness almost went away, but when fingers hooked a hold of his boxers he felt the cold shiver break out once more.

Still he lifted his hips slightly off the bed to allow the item to be pulled off. He was lying naked in bed with a classmate whom he’d never even looked twice at before. The idea was almost enough to make him laugh. But Ruki was nibbling at his thigh this time and what could’ve been a laughter turned into a shaky moan instead.

The sound of a bottle being opened seemed to echo through room, but it wasn’t until slick fingers prodded his behind that he became truly nervous again. It was just so...real. Yes, there was a vibrator in his bedside table and yes, he’d used it on himself; he was a male high school student, of course he had a need for release and sexual stimulation. But this, this was something entirely different. This was sex, sex with someone and that someone was a very unlikely candidate.

Ruki kept circling the area, almost as if he was hesitating himself, and finally moved up again to share another kiss. Their bodies were not pressed together so tightly this time and the shorter’s hand remained where it was. Circling, massaging, prodding; but not quite slipping inside.

Outside dawn was beginning to shift the black darkness into something slightly greyer. There was no big difference to talk about, but it was enough for Uruha to make out Ruki’s face above his own more clearly. He could see insecurity in those eyes as well and oddly enough that gave him courage to pull the other down for a kiss and lift his hips just a tiny bit, pressing back against the fingers in a wordless attempt to give permission.

One finger breeched the final boundary and slipped inside. Uruha shuddered, but no longer from fear but something else. It was scary! But knowing that Ruki was also nervous combined with the lips on his own and the one digit currently thrusting into him was enough to allow pleasure to take over. Suddenly he was very happy about having used that toy of his in the lonely hours of the night, something told him this would’ve been a lot harder otherwise.

One finger became two and the friction increased tenfold. Uruha whimpered in slight discomfort, but they kept kissing and Ruki was cradling his head with his free hand. It wasn’t until the third finger that pain truly entered the picture, but it wasn’t enough to make him want to stop. He knew that there was pleasure to be gained from it, he’d found that spot all on his own and he was hoping Ruki would find it as well.

When he did it was only because the assault on his senses was making him impatient. Uruha’s gasps and muffled moans, the slight movement of his hips as Ruki thrust his fingers in and out, were turning him on immensely and he became a bit rougher than he intended to. Thrusting a bit harder, pushing his fingers just a little bit deeper, he had Uruha arch off the bed and bite through his own lip to silence the cry of bliss that wanted to erupt from his chest.

“Holy shit!” Ruki whispered and licked his dry lips. “Fucking hell that’s hot!”
“Just do it, I want you to fuck me...”

It sounded so dirty even to his own ears, but his nerve system was electrified and though Ruki was so close it was not close enough. Now that they’d gotten this far he wanted to go all the way, he wanted to finally feel what it was like to be physically connected to another person. He was almost 18 years old and it didn’t feel like it was a moment too soon.

Ruki extracted his fingers, leaving Uruha feeling strangely empty, and he could hear the other open and close the bottle of lube once more. Hands on his hips confirmed that Ruki had slicked himself up, because one of them was sticky with the substance as they urged him to shift slightly. Uruha complied willingly and spread his legs to give the other more room, then placed his legs over Ruki’s thighs and up alongside his hips once he was kneeling down there. Something incredibly hot pressed against his entrance and he closed his eyes in waiting for the inevitable.

“Look at me,” Ruki demanded however and something in his voice didn’t accept disobedience. This was a mixture of the two sides of Ruki he’d come to know; the rough rebel and the no less dominant but much more gentle one that had lead him into this. Opening his eyes again their gazes locked and Ruki pushed in, none too gently but enough not to cause overwhelming discomfort.

In the end it was Ruki who couldn’t keep his eyes opened. He made a guttural sound and slumped forward, stilling once he was all the way inside. Uruha was shivering all over, but he was sane enough to comb his finger through the dark locks in a soothingly manner. Ruki was bigger than the vibrator he used to get himself off, he filled him up more fully and felt a hell of a lot more alive with the way he throbbed inside of him, but the shock was probably bigger for Ruki than for him.

“Fuck you’re tight!”
A devious little crossed Uruha’s features and he clenched his muscles, making Ruki groan all over again.
“Don’t do that, you’ll make me come already.”
“Then fuck me, I already told you I want you to fuck me!”
“It should be fucking illegal for you to talk like that...”

But he complied. Pulling out a bit he thrust back in by snapping his hips viciously, causing them both to groan in pleasure. The next time he pulled out further, then he thrust harder. Uruha wrapped his legs around his waist and soon began meeting the thrusts as Ruki used his mouth to kiss and lick whatever skin he could seem to reach; nipples, chest, neck, lips. It was fast, maybe a bit harder than Uruha would like in the morning, but it felt incredible!

Maybe too good, cause all too soon both of them were closing in on what they could handle. Getting over himself Ruki finally reached a slightly shaking hand between them and wrapped it around Uruha’s cock, touching him dead on for the very first time. Simultaneously he tried to shift the angle somewhat, hoping to hit the same spot that had made the other cry before.

For Uruha, who had never known a hand other than his own, it was definitely too much. When Ruki’s next thrust brushed his prostate as well he tumbled helplessly over the edge. Even clamping a hand over his mouth he couldn’t fully muffle the sobbing cries as his entire body tensed up, muscle spasms shaking his body and making him clench down around Ruki’s length still inside of him and he came hard between them.

Ruki could do nothing but stay still, the tightness preventing any movement on his part, and gasp at the sight. As soon as he was allowed to he made a few rapid thrusts, enjoying the whimpers the other made as he assaulted his oversensitive body, before groaning as he too found a powerful release. Then he pulled out and ungracefully slumped down next to the still panting Uruha.

Neither said anything, they just drifted off to an exhausted dreamless sleep.

- - -

The alarm clock woke them up. Much like when they last woke up they were tangled together, now in a much stickier mess due to sweat, lube and things Uruha wasn’t too keen on thinking off now that the act itself was over. At first he didn’t understand what the persistent beeping was all about, then panic struck him as he realised his mother might come check why he didn’t get out of bed.

“Holy shit!”

He practically jumped out of bed and nearly collapsed on the floor as a sharp pain shot through his lower back. Gasping in surprised shock he reached over and finally managed to shut off the suddenly annoying devise. Normally he didn’t mind getting up in the morning, but today he would’ve preferred to stay in bed.

“I think I’m rubbing off on you...”

Turning around to give a sharp reply Uruha fell silent at the sight before him. Ruki was snuggled up in his bedding, cover pulled up to his nose and muffling his speech. The dark hair was ruffled and his eyes were closed, if he hadn’t just spoken Uruha would’ve thought he was sound asleep.

“We need to get up, school starts in two hours.”
One eye cracked open to give him a disbelieving look.
“You get up two hours before school starts?”
“Yeah, you need to get going if we’re going to make it!”
“I’m not going anywhere but back to sleep.”
“Cut it out, Ruki! We need to hurry!”
“Do you really want to explain to your mum what I’m doing here so early in the morning, undressed nonetheless?”

Unfortunately he had a point and Uruha stopped in his attempts to pull the covers off the smaller body. He was also suddenly very aware of the fact that he was naked whereas Ruki at least had something to cover up his body. Blushing he rapidly found an old t-shirt and boxers to put on. Ruki made a disapproving sound and closed his eyes again.

“So what do you suggest we do?”
“You go ahead and I go back to sleep.”
“Then what?”
“Then I get out and your mum will never know what happened.”
“How will you get out without her noticing?!”
“There’s something called a window, wouldn’t be the first time I used them as exit points.”

Uruha merely grunted in response and headed over to the bathroom, tossing a good morning down the stairs that was way chirpier than he felt. A quick shower and a brush of his teeth later he was back in his room to get dressed. All in all it took him about half an hour before he was ready to go downstairs. Ruki’s voice stopped him just as he was about to exit though.

“Uruha.”
He turned back towards the bed.
“Yeah?”
“If you tell anyone what happened tonight I’ll beat you to a bloody pulp, okay?”
Not too surprisingly, Uruha froze to the spot.
“What?”
Ruki shifted slightly, pushed the covers down a bit until they could look at each other.
“I don’t regret what happened, but I can’t have it out and about.”
“You’d be ashamed to be with me?”
Ruki sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“I’m just worried I’ll end up throwing it all to hell if people start giving me shit about it. Can we just...keep this between the two of us at the time being?”
Something in the way he said it made Uruha feel a faint flicker of hope.
“Are you...saying you...”
“Want this to happen again? Yeah, I think that’s what I’m saying.”

His steps were slightly hesitant, but Uruha walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. Ruki looked suspicious, but Uruha caught him with a grip around the neck and pulled him in close for a soft kiss. It felt slightly awkward, but it was something he wanted to do and the fact that Ruki let him made him feel a lot better about what had been said.

“Alright.”
“Good.”
“See you in class.”
“Excuse me?”
“You better not skip the entire day. My back is killing me because of you, but I’m still going.”
Ruki smirked, and an all too content version of it to that.
“Well sorry, princess.”
“Shut up!”

Getting up he walked back to the door, but there he turned around and smiled at the other one last time. Ruki rolled his eyes and buried himself under the covers once more. When Uruha came back up to fetch his bag and books a while later, he was sound asleep.