Chapter 01

"Hey, remember when we used to play that game when we were kids?"

Ren looked up from his book after a moment, arching an eyebrow and glancing at his best friend over thin-rimmed gold spectacles.

"Remember when we actually did our homework?" Ren's eyes fell absently back to his book. God, he hated calculus. "Y'know, when we were kids."

HoroHoro grinned apathetically from his space on the floor, history work lying abandoned on the short coffee table. Ren was seemingly taking little notice of the boy, sat idly in one corner of the sofa with one hand under his chin as he unabashedly studied a worn hardback textbook.

"Ah relax, will you? We have like, two weeks till study leave begins. And then some before any actual exams." The boy watched for some response. Ren ignored him. "…besides, it's not like you should be worried, you've not failed a class in your life."

Ren made a non-descript 'hm' sound in what appeared to be agreement before leafing over a yellowed page and studying it with the same bored expression. HoroHoro rolled his eyes tediously around the room, chewing gently on his lip. Finding little else to lend his interest, his focus fell back on his studious friend and a lazy smirk dawned across his features.

"Shame we don't play that Shaman thing anymore, as I recall I rather enjoyed whooping your butt every other day – come to think of it, I can kinda see why you wouldn't want to talk about it. It's ok, I mean, I'd be embarrassed too if I'd got beat so many-"

The boy was cut off by a sudden flying textbook as it ricocheted off his shoulder and onto the floor. He laughed good-naturedly at Ren who now sat with his lips pursed, glaring at him in a vibrant but none-too-serious way. He never lost.

"Heh, you know I'm just kidding you." Horo grinned, gathering the book and the several pages that had fallen out from it upon collision with his ultra-manly muscles and placing it on top of his work.

"I could barely stand you back then." He heard Ren's voice wander absently and he turned to face him, considering.

"Was that all because of this?" Horo gestured avidly to his shock of winter-sky-blue hair. Ah yes, Ren remembered. Superiorly slipping off his reading glasses he gently tossed his own dark hair, making it glint a loud purple where it caught the light.

"Hm. You just dyed yours because you looked up to me. Had it been someone else I may have taken the compliment."

The blue-head pouted a frown in the boy's direction. Man he hated it when Ren went on one of his ego trips.

"Whoa whoa, hold on a sec – look up to you? Why my dearest Ren, I doubt anyone besides Manta has been able to do that since kindergarten. Heh, go figure! I always thought you were compensating for something with that great big cone- oomph!"

This time HoroHoro was cut off as the boy physically launched himself at him, knocking him to the floor and weighing him down, fists clutched round his t-shirt collar as sparks flew from Ren's eyes. Musta ran out of books…

"How the bloody well dare you-"

"I know, I know-"

"-you brainless twit-"

"I-know-that-was-completely-out-of-line-and-I'm-really-really-very-sorry!" Horo garbled out, his eyes clenched shut and grimacing slightly; maybe it was the fact that Ren had been punctuating each syllable by wrangling the other boy's collar so hard he could barely breathe, but for some reason Horo felt an overwhelming need to reprimand his statement. Squinting open one eye as the pounding in his head subsided Horo was faced with a very pissed off Ren.

Sitting on top of him.

Ergo, no chance of escape.

The blue-head swallowed uneasily and briefly wondered how the sparks bolting from Ren's eyes had as of yet failed to start a fire. Sighing he carefully took hold of Ren's wrists, tactfully trying to pry them away to a safe distance from his all-too-consciously exposed throat. He didn't really think the boy had it in him to murder, but hey, better be safe than-

"I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it, you were just being all boring and doing" Horo made a face in distaste, "work."

Ren narrowed his eyes a final time before sighing and settling back to a slightly less imposing distance from Horo's bare throat. After all, being best friends with the blue-haired idiot meant that tussles like this were a pretty frequent occurrence. Resting his eyes back on the bluenette's he noticed that they were looking back up at his hair in consideration, as though studying a painting and trying to decide whether or not they approved. Ren was about to narrow his eyes again when Horo's seemed to reach a conclusion.

"It's so different now. I like it." Reaching up with one hand and leaning back on an elbow, Horo's hand gently touched over Ren's hair. Rather than the old solid 'cone' it was now fashioned in a far more agreeable collection of slightly shorter spikes, which Horo thought suited the boy much better.

Snapping out of his apparent trance, Horo met Ren's vaguely amused gaze and lowered his hand to rest back on both elbows.

Seconds ticked by.

Horo tentatively bit his lip again and tilted his head a little to the side, thinking.

"Hey Ren?"

"Hm?"

"Mind if I try something?" Ren was giving him a plain look that betrayed no answer, but HoroHoro took it for a go-ahead all the same. He was already raising himself forward with one hand and reaching out with the other.

"Purely…" his hand moved, "…in…the…" cupping Ren's cheek, "…interest…" drawing closer, "…of…" he never finished.

His lips met Ren's in the softest of brushes, both boys pressing so gently into the kiss as though afraid of it shattering.

Pulling apart carefully, each appeared to gauge the other's reaction. Ren's cheeks were tinted ever so slightly with pink, but HoroHoro thought that maybe the only reason he noticed was because his own face was still hovering only millimetres away. As if they both reached some same conclusion, they delved into each other again.

This time Horo's hand slipped round to the back of Ren's neck as his other hand circled round to rest low on his back, while Ren's in return gripped at the material across each of Horo's shoulders.

Leaning back Horo drew Ren with him, pulling him closer with both arms circling him, the digits of one hand beginning to edge slowly beneath the lining of his shirt. Ren stiffened momentarily against him, then wriggled slightly to shake the wandering hand away. Horo obliged and the kiss continued – but a moment later Ren felt the hand at the base of his back again, riding up his shirt.

"No really Horo, quit it…"

"Hah, don't tell me you really were compensating for-" uh-oh. Horo felt Ren still and looked up sheepishly to meet a fiery glare. "Uh, Ren-"

"That's it."

"What!? I'm sorry, I was kidding!"

But Ren had already stood up abruptly and strode purposefully toward the door, grabbing hold of his violet messenger bag along the way. Horo called out again but his only reply was the door slamming shut decisively.

"Ren…"

HoroHoro frowned and sighed simultaneously, feeling a great deal more irritable than he had done for a long time. Throwing himself down on his sofa he swept his feet onto the table, sweeping his and Ren's books unceremoniously to the floor as he grabbed for the remote.

Suddenly he felt as though they were playing that dumb Shaman game all over again.