Irashaimasen! Hello everyone, it's Rose again, bringing you a very new, very different story. I hope you all enjoy, especially after the completion of Life After (which is much better than this so go read that!)

Rate and Review, or else authours like myself die of starvation...

Chapter 1

The kid's dad was bound to find out. After the stunt he had pulled today, there was no way that he'd get to keep his job. Sure, the dean was pleased when his son had decided to apply to Mitsuhashi University, though albeit confused. Shinobu had the marks that any high school student would kill for, and he had applied to one school and one school only. It wasn't as if he'd have to rely on his father to be enrolled, especially since he could have the choice of any school in the country and almost any abroad, but it did raise a few eyebrows. What was a brilliant young man like Takatsuki Shinobu doing in a higher-middle range school where his father was dean? Taking Advanced Japanese Literature, of course.

And harassing his teachers at that. Well, one teacher in particular. A teacher who felt that he had dealt with more than his fair share of difficult students in his time, thank you very much. This student, though, was more than difficult. Never in his numerous years of teaching, not that he liked to admit how long he had been dealing with the dumb brats that he now handed off to Kamijo, had a student tried to make a pass at him during the school day. At least, not a real pass. This had definitely been real, not just some tiny fantasy created by an older man instating some small chance that he might actually attract younger women, but an actual attempt at seducing him. That, or murder. He still wasn't fully convinced. All he knew was that one minute he was grading surprisingly interesting papers about Edo era poetry and the next the door was being quietly locked behind him as the sound of a tie sliding off penetrated his ears. Without so much as a friendly hello, he found his hands tied together behind his chair and the young male brunette suddenly straddling him, just staring. What else was he to do? Kick and scream? Well, yes, he did do that a little, just more yelling rather than screaming. He pushed against his desk with his legs, sending his wheeled chair back as far as it could, and also sending the shocked Shinobu careening down onto the ground, his head hitting the older man's thigh. He had gotten to his knees, looking much more frightening than usual, when the door knob began to jiggle quietly. Then there was the jingling of keys and the door was swung open much too quickly by the one person who just knew that his bad day wouldn't get any better after this.

Miyagi knew that it looked pretty bad. The young, barely legal, male, student kneeling with his head between his teacher's legs and a look of pure determination was not exactly what one would call innocent. Nor was it amusing in the context of the situation. They just stayed there for a moment, all three of them, frozen, without a word. Then, with a sigh, Kamijo closed the door silently and walked over to the stack of papers that Miyagi had been previously grading, taking them to his desk and sitting in a comfortable attitude, facing away from the semi-stunned pair.

"Continue." Any hopes that Miyagi had of being saved were crushed with that word, his surprise turning to confused anger. Shinobu, however, wasted less than a second before working the clasp of the professor's belt. Miyagi really wanted to kick him. Why was this stupid kid so interested in him?

"Ah! Kamijo, what the hell are you doing? It's not what it looks like, I swear, I was just grading papers when this no good little- Oi! Where do you think you're touching brat!" Shinobu gave him a glance that all too clearly said "you-know-exactly-where" and continued, finding the clasp to be almost more trouble than it was worth, especially with the old man wriggling as much as he was. Miyagi wrenched his head around in a desperate attempt to make some kind of contact with his subordinate. Kamijo would not have any of it.

"Aren't you going to help me?" he yelped, hearing the clasp finally give and seeing the triumphant gleam in Shinobu's eyes. Kamijo didn't so much as turn around.

"No." It was a statement without emotion. Miyagi realized that this was the time to panic. "And these," Kamijo lifted some of the papers to show the professor. It was clear in his voice that he was fighting the urge to bash his head into a brick wall. "No need to thank me; I'd end up grading them anyway, right?" Miyagi glared down at Shinobu, who was practically glowing in his victory. He began to undo the zipper of Miyagi's pants slowly, holding Miyagi's gaze for effect. If Shinobu had succeeded at one thing, it had been at pissing Miyagi off.

Before things got any further, Miyagi planted his foot on Shinobu's chest, sending the teen to fall against the floor and the chair flying back, falling to its side. He managed to wriggle his hands out of the crudely knotted tie and stood, hovering over Shinobu like an angry giant. The boy swallowed.

"Miyagi…" The man reached down, hoisted Shinobu up by the arm, dragged him out of the office, and slammed the door in his face, panting hard with effort. Kamijo finally turned to him, raising an eyebrow at his colleague's state.

"Want these back?" Kamijo asked, holding up the papers again. Miyagi glared at him, re-buckling his belt. He felt like a fool. Worse yet he looked like one. The kid needed to be dealt with, one way or another. He almost wondered how that insane child had ever made him fall in love with him. He would've smiled at the thought if he had not been so worried. The dean was bound to hear about this.

Kamijo wouldn't say anything unless he was threatened maybe. Miyagi wasn't really sure. He trusted the professor, but wouldn't want him to lie if his job was at stake. Perhaps it was better that way. Still, this had happened during his office hours. The hallways outside were always crammed with students and faculty; someone was bound to have seen the little incident. There was no way for Miyagi to know who had been out there, if anyone, and who had seen him in his indecent state. The dean would find out. The kid would get shipped off to Australia. Worse yet, Miyagi would lose his job. He wondered if his priorities weren't mixed up. Shrugging, he went to get a cup of coffee. He wouldn't be leaving that office until he was the last person left in the building. Not that he ever expected Shinobu to leave him alone. He didn't. He was right not to.

The kid was sitting outside his apartment when he got there, plenty later than he would usually have. He looked exhausted, head slumped over against one knee, with his eyes threatening to close. He didn't even register it hen Miyagi walked up to him until a few moments after. Miyagi said nothing to him as he scrambled to his feet, trying to straighten his vest. The kid's eyes were rubbed red, Miyagi supposed from crying. The stupid kid cried too much, over every incident, grand or small. It would have been annoying if it weren't so endearing. However, a few tears were not enough to pull Miyagi from his bad mood, especially when the kid had been the cause of it in the first place. He opened the door, not caring if he was followed in, which he inevitably would be. Shinobu shut the door behind him and stood there in silence, staring at his shoes like a moron. Miyagi ignored him. He should make dinner. Alas, the fridge was stocked with nothing but cabbage, which only reminded him of the boy all the more. The boy that still hadn't moved. Miyagi flopped onto the couch, throwing a cushion at the boy, nearly making him fall to the ground in shock.

"Oi. You alive, stupid kid?" Miyagi grunted, lighting a cigarette. He was going to quit. At least, he would quit after this kid stopped giving him unnecessary stress. Which meant he could smoke guilt free until he died. He exhaled deeply, nerves a little calmer as he felt the couch bounce slightly with the weight of another body. Shinobu was there, leaning against his shoulder sleepily. Miyagi turned to look at him, sighing heavily.

"You're a piece of work, you know that?" Shinobu flinched, not looking up at the older man. The man in question took another drag of the cigarette and put it out. It hadn't been helping much anyway. He ruffled the kid's hair lightly, earning a surprised squeak in response. "Don't look so pitiful; it's depressing." At this Shinobu did look up, worry lines creasing his forehead. Miyagi waited a moment before continuing.

"You're…" he started, but stopped. "Don't you interfere with my work, you hear me? Otherwise I wont have any time to give you attention, got it?" Shinobu nodded rapidly with wide eyes. He looked as if he was expecting to be hit. Stupid kid, who did he think was his lover? Kamijo? Well, then he would have ample reason to fear. Miyagi tried to hold back a grin, clearing his throat. "Get into bed. I'm going to bathe." He pulled the student off of the couch and pushed him lightly toward the bedroom. Shinobu just stared at him incredulously as if he had two heads. Miyagi waited until closing the bathroom door before allowing himself a smile. That child… no matter what he did, Miyagi could not stay angry with him, not for long anyway. It was getting harder to hold a grudge against him the longer they were together. Still, he was worried for his job. Fortunately enough for the two of them, the weekend had just began, so they had time before all hell broke loose, if it were to break loose. The calm before the storm, Miyagi thought, stripping out of his day clothes and turning on the faucet. He washed quickly, not really needing to but doing so just the same. That kid was going to be the death of him, he knew it. He dried off, slipping into a pair of loose pajama pants before leaving the bathroom. Shinobu was in bed, as he had instructed, cocooned in the sheets like a child. Miyagi almost wanted to smile. He climbed into bed, not worrying about his before bed cigarette. He lay on his back, exhaling deeply when he felt a skinny arm curl around him and a head on his chest. He looked down at the kid, who was mumbling that he was sorry between sniffles. Had the dumb kid been crying again? He was getting too old for this. The older man just lay there, staring at the ceiling for a long while before falling asleep, and it wasn't a restful sleep at that.

Shinobu woke to find himself in the middle of the bed, cold, and alone. He felt as if he always woke up alone. Every morning, at least every morning that he woke up in Miyagi's bed, which wasn't often enough, he woke to an empty bed. It had pissed him off the first time just as much as it pissed him off now. He'd teach that old man. He killed the thought before it had fully developed. What had happened the last time he had tried to teach the man a lesson for ignoring him? He had wound up here, crying alone, waiting to see if Miyagi was as terrifyingly mad as he usually was. No, he had to better cope with his relationship and he knew that. The problem was that Miyagi seemed to hit all the right buttons with him to drive him crazy. No one had ever dared call him stupid before, but when Miyagi had, he hit the nail on the head. When it came to Miyagi, Shinobu couldn't help but do stupid things. It was as if he was programmed to make a fool out of them both when he was upset or lovesick. He was starting to drive himself crazy, even. Shinobu sat up, not wanting to stay in bed any longer. Where had the old man gone anyway? It was Saturday, a day off from the University for them both. They usually spent it together. Yet, here he was, sitting alone in the man's bedroom. Again. How long would this go on? His head sunk down to his hands in frustration, but shot right back up immediately. There was a smell in the air, a familiar smell. It smelled of…eggs. Miyagi was here! Miyagi was cooking? That was Shinobu's self appointed job! He kicked off the bed sheets, stumbling over to the door and rushing into the kitchen. Miyagi was sitting quietly at the table, munching on an omelet. There was another place setting out. The older man raised his eyebrow at Shinobu, pausing before taking a bite.

"You sleep like the dead, you know." Shinobu slumped into his chair, staring at the man, then into the bowl in front of him. "That's for you," Miyagi pointed out, continuing his breakfast. Shinobu didn't like it when Miyagi cooked. Miyagi was better at cooking than he was. He had been married before, so he should have expected his wife to do the cooking. Not that Shinobu was his wife, but Shinobu wanted to be the kind of partner that could help out. This was supposed to be his job. He couldn't do anything right.

The younger boy lifted his chopsticks, muttering an almost silent "itadakimasu" and took a bite of the yellow food. It was good. That only worsened his mood. Miyagi was staring at him, but he was too caught up in his own head to notice. The old man poked him in the forehead with one of his chopsticks, looking at him sternly.

"Are you still upset over yesterday?" Shinobu just shrugged, playing with his food idly. He hadn't really been hungry to begin with. Miyagi sighed, pulling back his arm and continuing to stare at the boy. He leaned forward across the table, eyes narrowed, studying him. Shinobu fidgeted, not liking being under close scrutiny. Miyagi reached over again, this time grabbing him by the collar and hoisting him up into a kiss. The bowl in front of Shinobu fell to the floor, contents spilling and scattering all over. Shinobu was shocked, not responding to the kiss at first. Miyagi never was so forward, ever. The flick of tongue against his lips made Shinobu lose all the fight in him, opening his mouth slowly and letting Miyagi take over fully. Their mouths moved against each others silently for a few moments before they both had to pull back for air. Shinobu fell back into his chair awkwardly, his face red up to his ears. Miyagi got up and knelt by the boy's feet, picking up the fallen egg and putting it back into the bowl. He stood, and shot Shinobu a "don't mess with me" look.

"Stop freaking out." Shinobu just stared at him uncomprehendingly as he walked behind the counter to clean up the mess he had made while cooking. He could barely believe what had just happened. He loved this man. He really loved him. Shinobu made his way over to Miyagi, hugging him from behind. Miyagi wasn't too pleased considering he was up to his arms in dish soap, but let the kid do as he pleased.

"Sorry," Shinobu muttered quietly. He hated apologizing; it was like admitting he was wrong. For Miyagi, though, he would swallow his pride, even if only a little. Miyagi waited until the hug had ended, dried his hands and watched the boy as he walked away, settled on the couch with a book, one of the few Miyagi had bought him, and began to read. He grinned knowingly. Shinobu was being quiet. With some luck, it would last the weekend.

It did in fact last all weekend long, and that alone was driving the older professor insane. The damn kid had not really spoken to him, hadn't tried to climb in his bed at night, and hadn't cornered him to strip him of his clothes even once. It was infuriatingly strange, infuriatingly calm, infuriatingly normal. Miyagi nearly knocked Kamijo over when he saw him Monday with the hug he gave him. Kamijo, noting Miyagi's mood, knew that the day would be long.

Miyagi hadn't forgotten about the incident in the literature office, although his attitude said otherwise. He was worried. At any moment he expected a student or member of the staff to barge into his classroom, or the lounge, or the men's restroom, or wherever he happened to be at the moment and demand payment in return for keeping quiet. Or something like that. He really wasn't quite sure how it would play out. Still, Miyagi was glad to be back to his normal routine. It gave him an excuse not to see Shinobu during the day, rather than how his weekend turned out with Shinobu nearly bolting whenever he caught sight of the man. There was absolutely no reason for that as far as Miyagi could tell. The boy was being foolish, and it was more than enough to piss him off the first three times, let alone all weekend. This, the university, was what he was used to. It was habitual. As long as the kid didn't try to harass him during school hours he would be perfectly happy, thank you very much. That didn't mean he had to keep a three foot minimum between them at home! He sighed, wondering if and when the whole thing would blow over and life would return to his definition of normal, not the creepily stereotypical normal that he had been experiencing as of late. Now that was just irritating.

Miyagi finished work unsatisfied, which was abnormal considering he usually left the University feeling quite pleased with what he had done that day. Tonight was different. He hadn't accomplished anything all day, or at least that's how it felt. None of his work had seemed important. The only thing he could think about was going home to find Shinobu waiting for him, and how he would react. He got home quickly, not really remembering the journey and not really caring, and opened the door to his apartment. It was dark and silent. The kid must have been in the bedroom, or maybe the bathroom. Still, the eerie quiet disconcerted him. Miyagi entered the bathroom from the door in the living area and flipped on the light. Nothing. He could see that the lights were out in the bedroom from the connecting door. No, Shinobu wasn't here, it seemed. Where was that boy? Miyagi was halfway through unwrapping his tie, staring into the mirror intently. It couldn't be helped then. He didn't bother finishing what he was doing before he ran out, grabbing his keys and slamming the door behind him. He was going to harass his next door neighbor.