Partners
(Tsubasa x Misaki)

Disclaimer: I don't, and never will I, own Gakuen Alice.

"And I think it'll be better if you don't make anything for me anymore. I hope you understand, and I'm sorry," Tsubasa's words were clear and his voice firm. He then proceeded to approach Misaki who was stunned but gladness written all over her face. "I'm going now. Do you want me to get anything for you?"

"Just bring back Hayate-kun. Take care and call me when you reach home," they stood there smiling at each other for a few seconds before Tsubasa tapped her shoulder and proceeded downstairs. Misaki watched his retreating figure before going inside the clubroom.

"It's almost time, get down to room 305B, SCA," Megane called out to the whole clubroom. Misaki meanwhile was still smiling like a fool as she entered the clubroom to gather her things. "Oh, you look happy, Misaki-san."

"Huh? Ah, yeah, I'm okay," Megane looked at her weirdly as she almost floated towards the table where she left her stuff, despite the crowd that was going out of the clubroom.

Megane looked over to Kaname and Nobara who also happened to notice the change in Misaki's mood. "Looks like the idiot finally did something right," Kaname said happily. He approached Misaki who was packing her things. "Having a good day? Want to eat out after the assembly?"

Misaki smiled widely at him. "Sure, let's do that."

They proceeded to assembly which was mainly about Solid Foundation's event tomorrow, then went out for dinner afterwards. They had already started eating when her phone rang. A happy smile formed on her face immediately upon seeing Tsubasa's name.

"Hello, Tsubasa? Did you get home already?" she leaned back a bit as the others looked at her amusedly.

"Yeah. I dropped by Hayate's house earlier, but they didn't let me in, said the family was busy with something. Word has it that a famous designer came to town. Hayate's mom must be there. You did it, Misaki, you got her to help Hayate. Whatever happens now is up to Hayate," Tsubasa told her. Then he shifted to a lighter tone. "How was assembly? Are you home now?"

"It went well. I'm out having dinner with the others right now. Did you have dinner already?"

"Just about to, waiting for mom to finish cooking. Anyway I'll just call again tomorrow, enjoy the event, I'm sure it'll be successful again. Don't miss me too much, though," he joked.

"You wish. Okay, I'll just update you during the event tomorrow, bye," she put down her phone as she shook her head.

"What, no message for any of us?" Kaname jokingly asked when she resumed eating without saying a word about the call to them. "So it has come to this, huh?"

She just laughed at Kaname's insinuations.

It was almost 10 am when Tsubasa woke up the following day to his stomach's rumbling. He went downstairs stretching and his eyes not yet fully open.

"It's a good thing your husband listened to you. Hayate-kun's probably really happy to be able to go back to school now, isn't he?" he heard his mom's voice from the living room when he was already on the stairs. He stopped and listened.

"I really would not allow our son to go home if he continued hindering him, that is bound to scare him. I know how to handle him well," he then heard the voice of Hayate's mother. "With Hayate-kun, however, I do not know what to do. That child would not allow me to do anything for him. He was willing to give up his own life for his friend rather than ask me to help. I do not understand that child at all."

"Maybe you should spend some time with him, senpai, you've been going out of the country too much lately. Hayate-kun might feel estranged with you even though you often call him. Spend time with your family, senpai. Oh my, what time is it already? Tsubasa-kun should be hungry by now, want to go to the kitchen with me, senpai? I'm going to prepare his brunch," he heard his mother say so he quickly went up again and acted like he was just about to go down. "Oh, there you are, just in time, are you hungry, Tsubasa-kun?"

"Uh, yeah, good morning, mom. Aunt, you're here too, good morning," he greeted the two.

"Can you believe our sons are grownups already, senpai?" his mom said to Himemiya.

"Yeah, time flies so fast. Well, I will not bother you for too long, Yuka-chan. I will be going now, you go ahead and take care of your son," the two hugged each other and then Himemiya went out of their house while his mother took him to the dining room.

She made him sit while she took out the food intended for him. "Do you want coffee, Tsubasa-kun?"

He nodded. He watched her happily set the coffee maker while waiting for the microwave to finish reheating his food. "Mom, are Hayate's parents separated?"

"No, they're still together, it's just that senpai won't give up her dream of being a world-class designer. I think she only plans to go back here for good when she's retired. That's probably why her husband won't let Hayate-kun go, he's afraid he'll leave him too. He's a bit gruff but he must be missing senpai so much," she went over to him and served him his food. "Do you know what he did to make Hayate-kun give up, though? Senpai didn't tell me what it was exactly, except that it involved a friend."

"Ah, not really. Probably something about scaring him?" he feigned ignorance of Hayate's situation. Himemiya probably didn't say anything about his and Misaki's involvement to not make his mom worried.

His thoughts drifted back to Hayate. It was actually that easy, he realized, one word from Hayate's mother and Hayate's dad immediately gave up. Yuka was probably right, Hayate's dad only wanted his family with him, even if he understood Himemiya's dream. Hayate was probably a different case. If he was that young when his mom left him, Hayate probably never got the chance to understand his mom.

Tsubasa remembered Hayate receiving postcards from different countries, with the message behind written in the language from where it came from.

"What does it say, Hayate?" "I don't know, I can't read it."

That probably prompted Hayate to learn a bit of many languages. Hayate didn't get his father sometimes, but he knew that the bottomline is his father just wants him to stay and don't leave him.

Tsubasa understood now why Hayate preferred to stay with his controlling father rather than his free-spirited mother. At least he could understand his father a bit, unlike his mother.

He finished eating and called Misaki afterwards to say the good news. Next he tried calling Hayate whose phone now rang but wasn't picked up. He sent a message through phone and also through chat but still there was no reply.

"Is he still sleeping?" he wondered until he finally got an idea. He opened the online game they often played. Bingo!

"Oi, number one gamer who doesn't take a bath, we're going back tomorrow at 3," he typed in the in-game chat. He didn't care if the other players saw. "And I hope you did your homeworks, you got a lot you need to pass. Hey damn it, that was mine!"

"Slowpoke," was the only thing Hayate chatted back. He then challenged Hayate to a one on one duel which he eventually lost.

"Go out, let's just play soccer," he said, the only game he knew he could win against Hayate. He logged out and took a bath and changed his clothes to sportswear. He took out his phone and called up their other hometown friends to check if Hayate was already there.

"No, not here, Tsubasa."

"Tsk, that stubborn freak," Tsubasa started running towards the direction of Hayate's house as he sent another message to Hayate. "I'm going to your place. Get your ass out of there or I'll seriously tear down your gate."

He reached Hayate's house just as the gate opened and Hayate came out. He immediately gave Hayate a whack.

"What was that for?!"

"What are you hiding yourself for? Is your mom still there? I'm seriously going to ask her to force you to go back to school if you don't go back with me tomorrow," he warned Hayate sternly.

Hayate looked down on the ground. "I don't want to face Misaki-san and others. They were worried, weren't they?"

Tsubasa's eyes grew. And then he let out a snicker. WHACK! "That's all you're worried about? You're embarrassed to face them? Of course they were worried, all the more reason for you to show up yourself to them. Especially to Misaki."

As they agreed on, Tsubasa and Hayate went back to the city the following day at 3 pm, Tsubasa forcefully dragging a sleepy Hayate along. Misaki welcomed them outside the station with a smile on her face.

Hayate kept his head down when he saw her. "Hayate-kun, we missed you for a week. I'm glad you're back. And I'm sorry if I called your mom."

"I'm sorry, I really didn't know the old man would go that far," Hayate kept his gaze to the ground, embarrassed to look at her. "I won't let anything get to you." Sincerity was evident from his voice.

She was momentarily stunned at that. In reality, even though she travels home with Hayate every week, she felt least close to him among the group. Hayate literally had the least presence among them. He was often asleep and was a man of few words when awake, usually speaks only to deliver the punchline. He wasn't a leader type and preferred listening and silently does his work. It was actually ironic how he's really good at external relations and is leading his team well.

Nevertheless, she truly considers Hayate a close friend and she knows Hayate did too. It still surprised her however that Hayate would go so far for her. She knows Hayate enough to realize that if it were someone else, Hayate wouldn't give up his freedom. She suddenly felt like she had taken him for granted.

A few tears escaped from her eyes as she ran to give the guy a tight hug. Hayate being Hayate only knew human physical interaction through fighting so he just froze there. "Thank you, Hayate-kun, thank you."

Tsubasa coughed to get their attention and then she felt a hand forcefully remove her arms from Hayate's back and her body swung away. End result: Tsubasa's bag was in Hayate's hands while she was in Tsubasa's arm.

"Okay, I think that's enough drama. Hayate, you go ahead to the university, Misaki and I still need to go shopping. And by the way, we haven't told the others anything, but I think it's best that they know, especially Nobara-san. And it should come from you, not us," Tsubasa said to Hayate. She almost laughed at Tsubasa's tone.

"Don't you want to join us, Hayate-kun? We're eating out too," she offered. Tsubasa looked at her incredulously, obviously not wanting to have anyone intrude on them.

"Nah, I'll leave you two to it," Hayate declined. "What I said earlier includes this idiot, I can also dispose of him for you."

They both laughed at that while Tsubasa's eyes just widened. Hayate said goodbye and the two of them proceeded to the mall. She wanted to shop for a few clothes and books to read and asked Tsubasa to go with her. They decided to buy some school supplies they needed too.

They were at the bookstore when they separated for a while, Tsubasa went to get the supplies they needed while she went to look at books. She was browsing through novels by a certain author and allowed her fingers to trail through a row books until it stopped at the book she was looking for. Just a second after, another hand stopped to pick it up too. She looked up and saw that the person beside her held another book in his hand and didn't realize there was someone beside him.

"Oh, sorry, ah—" the guy, about her age, quickly apologized but suddenly froze when he looked at her.

"Uh, can I look at the book first?" she carefully asked. The guy quickly retracted his hand but his gaze remained at her. She opened the book and browsed it.

"Hi, uh, do you like this author too?" the guy asked.

"Yeah, I only read one of his works so far though," she replied, though surprised at the guy striking a conversation with her.

"He's having a book signing tomorrow, are you going?" "Ah, is that so, probably not." "Do you want to go together? He's reading poetry too and he's good at spoken words."

"Hey, are you done?" just then, Tsubasa arrived from the aisle right behind them. His hand then went between her and the guy and stopped on a book. "You were reading this one last time, right?"

Tsubasa essentially wedged his arm between her and the guy. He looked at her as if seeking approval. She gave him a grin. Tsubasa then decided to move a little closer so that he almost blocked her from the other guy's view.

She leaned her head forward to look at said guy. "I'm sorry, I'm really not interested. Let's go, Tsubasa, I'm done."

She pulled him by the hand to the counter to pay for their purchases as they both laughed. "Let's go to clothing next."

"Can we eat first? I think I'll need energy because you'd surely go to each shop and try each clothe on, asking me if you're fat or not." WHACK!

Despite everything that has happened so far, Tsubasa and Misaki remained how they were before. Their dynamics, the way they acted towards each other, what they talked about, remained the same.

"And I should say sorry again, Nobara-san, for leaving you alone last week," Hayate said when they were gathered together during lunch.

"Hayate-kun, it's okay. You didn't really leave me alone, that's why you basically finished everything during the break, right? So that I won't have to do much," Nobara said. "You should have told us, you always helped us, we would've helped you too."

"Okay, before anyone asks for a group hug on Hayate, I'm going to get food now," Tsubasa stood up. Misaki got up too. "What about you, guys?"

"You two go ahead," Kaname shooed them. "No, Hayate, you're not going, we're still doing that group hug on you."

The two of them just laughed and allowed the rest to decide amongst themselves. They were in line waiting for their turn when Maki Suzu arrived at the cafeteria. She scanned the cafeteria and approached the two. At that point, Misaki was telling a story about Hiro and was holding on to Tsubasa's arm demonstrating something.

"Ah, Suzu-san, have you met the team yet?" Tsubasa asked as he signed the papers Suzu held out to him. "Honoka-san's showing me the first draft of the recommendation later."

"She's showing it to me tomorrow," Suzu said, eyeing Misaki's hand which was still on Tsubasa's arm. She then held out a box to Tsubasa. "These are cupcakes I baked for you."

Tsubasa looked at Misaki before declining. "Sorry, Suzu-san, I can't accept those. And you can talk to Honoka-san about Vista as she's the head, your counterpart. She's a great manager, I assure you, and I gave her free reign, you don't have to go to me if it's just for signing these papers."

Suzu looked shocked at the outright rejection. Misaki meanwhile pressed Tsubasa's arm. She looked at Tsubasa who gave her an encouraging look. She then faced Suzu and smiled. "I can take care of him when he wants cupcakes, he really wouldn't accept those. Hey, it's our turn, what are you getting?"

Suzu hurriedly left the cafeteria furious and embarrassed. Misaki felt pity on the girl but then again, she should probably pity herself more. How many more of those girls does she have to chase away again?

She looked at Tsubasa who was busy scrutinizing the menu. They had said nothing between them and remained the same as ever, but even without words, they knew they can chase away who tries to get to the other. They knew to themselves that they would look at each other only. At this point in time, a relationship isn't their priority, after all, they had a term to complete in SCA, stacks of plates to pass, a presentation to do, and thesis coming along their way. It's enough for them to know that they have each other to lean on when they need it.

"Those two, will they be fine like that?" Nobara asked as she looked at the two who were laughing at something as they were ordering. "They haven't said anything, right? They act the same as ever too. I think that's bound to be a problem for them if they don't clear things up."

"Just let them. We can't do anything to help them now. Their fears right now are theirs to face in due time," Kaname said with a smile.

"Oh goddamn, I'm so screwed," Tsubasa, now in his late twenties, tugged at his hair frustrated. "What do I do? What do I do?"

He picked up his phone. No messages or calls from Misaki. Should he call her? But what should he tell her anyway?

He recalled what happened starting last night. They attended the alumni party of SCA. It was the first time in a long while that they were with so many college friends that they felt like they were 22 and in college again. Misaki enjoyed too much that she drank a lot. Scratch that, Misaki never drank without watching herself ever since they started working, but she didn't watch herself at all last night. "Tomorrow's Sunday, anyway," she defended.

He drank a bit too, but he watched his alcohol when he realized he probably would have to take Misaki home after the party.

"Tono-senpai, I heard you took my coworker out on a date last week and she thinks you two are really going out already. I couldn't tell her you never 'really go out' with anyone exclusively," Misaki said to Tono while slurring. "That's the problem with you men, you're never clear with your feelings!"

"I think I should bring her home, senpai, she's had too much to drink tonight," he and Tono laughed.

"Yeah you should, her world's probably upside down right now," Tono said and tapped his shoulder then headed back inside the club to see the other members.

"Let's go, you heavy architect," he fixed Misaki's arm around his shoulders and propped her up by her waist. He dragged her out of the club and threw her inside his car. He wasn't drunk but he was feeling a bit dizzy already so he called a driver to drive for them. He told the driver where Misaki's home was and they headed for it.

"Tsu-ba-sa! Are we going home already?" she even laughed a too-girly laugh as she snuggled close to him.

"Damn, you're making me dizzier. I haven't seen this drunk Misaki since college," if Misaki wasn't afraid to speak her mind normally, she also wasn't afraid to move around when she's drunk. She was too talkative and locomotive when drunk. As if she wasn't satisfied with her position, she shifted and spun her body in a complete 360 degree circle, landing her head on his chest this time. "Why can't you sit still?"

Last night was probably the worst he has seen Misaki drunk. Misaki basically threw herself on him the entire drive to her apartment, a different one from her college days, and even when he brought her inside her unit. Tsubasa, by then, was human and had a lot to drink already.

Misaki definitely kissed him first, he remembered, and the rest of the night was history. History that only he could remember, apparently, for he woke up to Misaki whining about not remembering, but realizing, what had transpired.

Maybe he was still too hung over, because he found himself repeating what they did to remind her. And then he woke up again to a missing Misaki, no notes left for him. Her clothes the night before which either she or he threw on the floor were already in her laundry basket and he knew she took a shower and left him alone.

"Where did she go anyway?" he was now back at his own unit, and he didn't know how to face her. Their relationship stayed the same ever since 4th year college, even when they graduated, went on their first jobs in the same company, and eventually working for different firms.

A call disrupted his thoughts and he rushed to pick it up. "Misaki?"

"Sir? It's Mari. I called to remind you about the client meeting at 4 pm," it was his assistant, Mari.

"Oh shoot, yeah, thanks for calling me, Mari-san. Did you send the project brief? Okay, thanks, sorry for making you work on a Sunday. I'll just send you the schedule after the meeting, see you tomorrow," it was already 2:30 pm. He ran to the bathroom and took a shower then drove to the meeting place.

He made it in time for the meeting, which was held in a café as the office was closed on a Sunday.

"Hi, Architect Andou, thank you for making time even if it's on a Sunday," the international businessman warmly greeted him.

"It's okay, I understand that you barely have time for this, well, let's start," he opened the files for the new skyscraper of the client.

This is what Andou Tsubasa is now. He had made a name for himself in the industry already. He had designed a few buildings abroad too. He is already considered world class and was well on his way to being named top architect of the country. Life was good for him, and he even had Misaki with him. Despite being out and about, they always managed to make time for each other. However, what happened last night was a first.

He decided to walk around the street after the meeting. It was a street full of cafes and restaurants right in the middle of the business district.

"Ahhh, what am I going to do?" he scratched his head in frustration. "Should I get her cake?"

He stopped and looked through the display glass at the café beside him. He decided to get cake and was about to approach the door when he saw Misaki and a man go out of the next door café. His eyes immediately widened. He was pretty sure Misaki didn't have work or any meetings today. And those were definitely date clothes she was wearing. He shifted his gaze to the man she was with. He didn't recognize him, or maybe he did, he just couldn't remember. But judging from how they were laughing with each other, the two were most likely on a date.

The two were bidding goodbye to each other when he carefully approached. "Misaki," he called out.

Misaki clearly didn't expect him to show up. And he knew from the slight panic that flashed on her eyes that he was right about the situation. "Tsubasa."

He nodded at the other man then shifted back to Misaki. "Didn't expect you'd be here."

Misaki looked at the man she was with. "Tsubasa, this is Ishida Yukio, he's an engineer. Yukio-kun, this is Andou Tsubasa, he's an architect too. It was nice having lunch with you, you can go ahead."

"'Til next time then," the man smiled at Misaki and nodded at him before leaving them.

"Were you on a date with him?" he asked as soon as Yukio was out of earshot.

"Yeah," Misaki answered as a matter-of-factly. "What are you doing here?"

"I had a client meeting," he answered, until he realized what she had just said. Misaki started walking towards her car and he chased her. "Why were you on date with him?"

"Why wouldn't I?" "What about what happened last night? What about us?" "What about it? Why, what is with us, Tsubasa?"

"Hey, you mean all these years together mean nothing to you?" he looked at her incredulously.

"All these years together? Why, Tsubasa? What were we really during those years? Sorry, you never told me, so I never knew," she looked at him sadly then entered her car and left him.

Misaki was able to drive herself all the way back to the building where she lived. It was when she had safely parked her car that she finally cried loudly. Nothing ever bothered her with her relationship with Tsubasa all these years until lately. Tsubasa never gave a stray glance at any other girl ever since they settled for an unspoken relationship. However, lately she'd been scared and bothered.

Maybe it started when Rio asked her about her boyfriend and she couldn't answer because suddenly she doubted whether Tsubasa was her boyfriend or not. She already let Rio and Yuki meet Tsubasa before. Or maybe when she saw her coworker's boyfriend pick up her coworker and acted lovey-dovey with each other. All she knew was that she suddenly felt scared. She loved Tsubasa but she wasn't sure he felt the same way. And when Yukio, a newcomer to the firm she worked for, asked her out, she felt like grabbing the chance to meet someone new.

She felt like it was unfair to Tsubasa, but she remembered they never did clear up what was between them. She felt scared of saying something about it now too. Maybe it had always been at the back of her mind, she just didn't take notice. Her priorities before was on her career. Now she was pretty much successful as a residential architect, already a senior architect in a well-known firm. It was probably high time she got more serious in relationships. She wasn't going to settle down anytime soon but she wanted stability in that aspect.

She wiped her tears and was just about to get out of the car when her phone rang. She thought it was Tsubasa but it was her mom. "Hello, mom? What's up?"

"Exactly what time are you going here on Saturday?" her mom asked.

"Mom, I'm leaving at 9 am. Don't worry, Mom, I'm going home for sure," she laughed. Ever since she graduated, she only went home to Shizuoka once a month or during holidays.

"The last time you were here was more than a month ago, of course I miss you so much already," her mom said. "Tsubasa-kun's still going with you, right?"

She stopped. Oh my gosh, she thought. The last time they talked about it, they agreed on going together. Even their parents never quite understood what exactly the two of them were, they were just happy when the two of them visit them together. Her mom would definitely be disappointed if Tsubasa didn't go with her since they already told her he would.

She contemplated calling Tsubasa but hesitated. After their exchange earlier, it was probably not a good time.

"Good day, everyone! Why are you all still here when it's already lunchtime?" Kaname loudly greeted as he entered Tsubasa's office. Tsubasa belonged to the biggest architecture, design and engineering firm of the country. He was one of the head architects of his division and had his own team.

Kaname, though working in a different firm, was already known in Tsubasa's office due to them often having lunch when both of them were free. He arrived mid lunchtime so he was a bit surprised to see Tsubasa's staff and associate architects still inside the office.

"Architect Sono, thanks goodness you're here," Mari, Tsubasa's secretary, hurriedly went to him. She was panicking. "Sir's currently in a bad mood and we don't know why. He arrived storming and hasn't left his office. This is the first time this has happened."

Kaname then noticed that all the members were all nervously looking at the direction of Tsubasa's door. After a minute, it opened and one of the staff went out looking scared.

"Mari-san, where are the files for the Ginza project?" Tsubasa impatiently called out from inside. Mari ran to her desk and hurriedly picked up a file folder. Kaname shook his head and took it from Mari.

"I'll take care of him, it's okay, you all go and eat before lunchtime ends," Kaname instructed everyone. They hesitated but went ahead after both Mari and the sub head architect agreed. Kaname then proceeded to go inside Tsubasa's room, who was running his hand through his hair in irritation. "I let them have their lunchbreak, all of them were too scared of running out with you like that."

Tsubasa just grunted in response. He picked up the files Kaname placed on his desk and started angrily browsing through it.

Tsubasa didn't often get annoyed at anything to the point that he would snap. And he rarely allowed his emotions get to his work. The last time Tsubasa had a temperament was when Mikan went out on a date with an idol who had a reputation of hopping from one girl to another. The siblings argued and Tsubasa almost dragged Mikan back to Shimoda. He however didn't let that show during work. The worst thing he did was to ask the younger staff members to turn off the television when the bastard came on.

"Let's see, if it isn't family then…" Kaname stopped to think then faced Tsubasa. "Who's the bastard who had the courage to approach Misaki-san? Are we killing someone tonight?"

"She went out on a date with some engineer," Tsubasa blurted out, his tone dark.

"Misaki-san did?" Kaname's eyes widened in amusement.

"Yeah, can you believe it? What the fuck, Kaname? Why'd she go out with someone else and she even admitted that to me? I don't know if this is worse than her seeing someone behind my back," he ranted. "She said, 'what is our relationship anyway?' Wow, so for many years now, I was the only one in a relationship."

"Well, are you? I don't remember you two becoming a couple ever, you've never even taken her out on a real 'date' before," Kaname said as a matter of factly.

Tsubasa looked at him and blinked several times. "Seriously?"

"When did you actually ask her to be your girlfriend?" That made Tsubasa stop.

"But I thought we—"

"'I thought this, I thought that.' You only 'thought' that, Tsubasa, but what did your actions show?" Kaname then got up. "Tell you what, Tsubasa, I bet your problem's something that can be resolved by talking, why don't you start from there? Anyway, let's go have lunch, I'm hungry."

He had no choice but to allow Kaname to drag him out of the office. They went to a restaurant near his office building. While waiting for their food, they both scrolled through their SNS on their own phones.

"Hayate's in London right now, he's probably speaking American English instead of British, isn't he?" Kaname said. Tsubasa scrolled through and saw the same photo Kaname was looking at. Hayate was now working for a firm abroad after it was discovered that he can speak different languages. He was basically still the same, forever looking the sleepyhead he was, except that he wore more decent clothes now.

"He hasn't gone home in a year, I wonder how angry his dad is by now," Tsubasa said and shook his head. He scrolled through again and saw a picture of him and Misaki during the alumni party. Misaki was still sober at that time. 'The number one loveteam of SCA,' some people commented. They were just sitting together and smiling. If anyone looked objectively, they can be anywhere from a real couple to simply friends.

He wondered if what Kaname said was true. Was he not clear enough to Misaki? Did his actions not show his real feelings?

"I should really talk to Misaki," he blurted out helplessly. Kaname just laughed at him.

That afternoon, he decided to drop by Misaki's office. He bought her a cake and went straight to her room. Just as Kaname was in his office, he was also a common visitor in Misaki's.

"Architect Andou, Ma'am's not here, she's outside for a meeting," her secretary said when she saw him.

"Ah, that's right, she told me about this before," he tapped his forehead. They often know each other's schedules. It just slipped his mind since he was rushing to meet her.

"Engineer Ishida, you're here. Are those the files Ma'am asked for?" the secretary looked over Tsubasa's shoulder. He turned and saw the man who had just entered the office.

"I'll leave this here with you," Tsubasa said and headed out of the office before he snaps. He passed by Yukio and they exchanged civil but tense nods.

"Do you know that guy? Is he Architect's boyfriend?" he overheard Yukio ask the secretary.

"Ha? Uh, eh, I'm not really sure. Ma'am never answered that question," the secretary nervously answered.

"Guess I still got a chance then," Tsubasa felt his ear twitch. "Does she have anything on her schedule tomorrow night? Maybe I can ask her out on a date again."

Tsubasa had to get out of there fast, lest he make Misaki lose her job. He went out of the building and hopped on his car. "I have to move immediately," he opened his phone and called Kaname. "Dude, where's the best place for a date here?"

Kaname chuckled. "Ahh, finally got out of your shell, huh? The place in the middle of 6th Avenue, next to where Anna-san worked before," Kaname said.

"What do you mean got out of my shell? And you really didn't hesitate to answer, did you? Just how many girls have you taken there? That's why Anna-san gets confused when she sees you with a girl, it's always a different one."

"Your fears, dude, your fears," Kaname said after laughing.

His fears. He thought hard as he called Misaki and waited for her to answer. What did Kaname mean? He tapped impatiently as Misaki's phone continued to ring. He was just about to give up when she picked up.

"Hello? Sorry, I just finished my meeting. What is it?"

"Misaki, tomorrow for dinner, would you like to go on a date with me?" he asked quickly, as if he was trying to chase something.

"A date?" surprise was evident in Misaki's voice. And then it hit him. It was the first time he had expressly asked her on a date. It was always 'let's go eat dinner together' or 'want to go with me to the mall?' He looked outside his window and saw a couple holding hands walk by. He never even intentionally held hands with her. Was the problem with him? Was he still scared all these years?

He almost felt like taking back his words. Being rejected by Misaki also meant losing her as his friend. He'd go crazy if that happened. That's probably why he always played it safe and avoided the topic. And that's probably why Misaki was losing confidence in him.

"Please?" he prodded her.

"Well, uh, sure, where? What time?" Misaki answered. He felt a tinge of hesitation and excitement in her voice.

"I'll pick you up at 6, see you."

Misaki didn't know whether to be scared or jump for joy. The last time she had talked to Tsubasa, they were shouting at each other and now he's asking her out on a date.

"Why only now, you idiot?" she said, looking at her phone screen. A picture of her and Tsubasa was there. And then she smiled. Suddenly all her anxiety went out the window. "Well, better late than never."

She drove back home happily. She immediately went to her closet and looked at her clothes. She had tried dressing up nicely for Tsubasa sometimes, but she hadn't felt this excited before. "Aye, Misaki, you're not a student anymore, can you stop acting like a teenaged girl who got asked out to prom by her crush?"

But she had laid out her clothes on her bed and tried each of them one by one. "Ugh, why do I still have work tomorrow?"

Misaki barely got sleep that night, her mind full of thoughts. Nevertheless, she went to work in a bright mood.

"You look good today, I mean, you look good everyday but there's something special today," Riko, an interior designer working in the same firm, said upon seeing her. Riko gave her some files and sat down in front of her table. She just smiled at her. "Oh, looks like you're in a good mood too."

She continued working that day in a good mood, and everyone who saw her noticed.

"I'll be going home to Shizuoka over the weekend so if anyone asks to see me, schedule them next week," she told her secretary as she was wrapping up work for that day.

"Ma'am, are you going out on a date?" her secretary asked her. She had just retouched her makeup and let down her hair, obviously not going home after work.

"Yeah," she nodded with a smile, something that surprised the secretary. That was probably the first time she ever admitted at the office that she was going on a date.

She continued wrapping up her things while her secretary left her. A little while later, she heard Tsubasa's voice outside her room.

"Hi, good evening, is she still busy?" she didn't wait for him to get directed to her room. She went out to greet him.

"Good evening, Tsubasa, I'm ready," she greeted. Tsubasa momentarily stayed frozen upon seeing her. She faced her secretary to bid goodbye. "I'm leaving now, you can go home too, don't forget to lock the office."

"I thought it'd be Engineer Ishida—oops, yes, Ma'am, enjoy your date," the surprised girl clasped her hands on her mouth.

"What?" Misaki's eyebrows twitched in confusion.

"Misaki, you look good. For you, by the way," Tsubasa snapped out of his trance and nervously gave her a bunch of flowers. Tsubasa then faced the secretary. "If that Ishida guy ever asks for your boss' schedule again, tell her she's never going to be free. Let's go?"

Tsubasa led her out of her office and they went out of the building together. Some of her coworkers were still there and saw them. She felt like hooking her arm with Tsubasa's but restrained herself.

Tsubasa didn't say where they were going until he stopped at a familiar restaurant. She knew the place, famous for dates, but never got to eat here before.

"I have a reservation," Tsubasa said to the maître d' who led them to a table for two. The table was set up nicely, perfect for a romantic date.

For a while, no one said a word. It was Tsubasa who broke the silence. "Uh, I told them not to overdo it with the setting, is this okay?"

She almost burst out laughing. "Well, cheesy really isn't our thing, is it? But yeah, this much is okay. There won't be an orchestra coming out, would there?"

"No, no, I did contemplate it, though," Tsubasa scratched his head.

"Good thing you didn't," she said with a slight smile.

"Misaki," he then called out. "About the other day, I'm sorry. And for being this late to ask you out like this, I'm sorry. Misaki, all these years, they're not nothing to me, I may not have said anything, but they're important to me and I'm grateful."

Misaki suddenly felt tears escape her eyes. "Tsubasa, I'm sorry too. For doubting you, for going out with someone else. I got scared, I suddenly thought, 'what if I was thinking things wrong?'"

Tsubasa went to her and held her hands. "Why didn't you say anything? Shh, don't cry."

"I was scared I'd lose you if I said anything. I thought, at least you were still beside me," she explained.

"I really ought to punch myself. This is the first time you hid your emotions, did you know that? I'm sorry, it must have been hard on you," Tsubasa said. "You know me inside and out, Misaki, you know I'd probably go crazy if I lose you, right? But here I am, Misaki, I'm taking a risk and I'm saying this to you now, I love you okay, then and now. I'd probably go crazier if someone else takes you even if you remain my friend."

She stopped to stare at his face for a whole second, absorbing every moment of the first time he confessed to her.

"I love you too, Tsubasa, thank you so much for everything, for having the courage to do this," she threw herself on him and hugged him. "I won't doubt you or us anymore."

"No more misunderstandings, okay? You're my girlfriend, don't meet that Engineer anymore," Tsubasa warned her.

She laughed and pulled away, "I can't do that, we're working on the same project."

"I'd be fine with work-related stuff, but don't go on dates anymore, tell him you've got a boyfriend," Tsubasa stubbornly insisted.

"Yeah, yeah, let's eat," she said just to stop him. They had a pleasant dinner together and they talked about a lot of stuff openly, as if it had been a while since they last talked to each other.

Afterwards, they went out to the street and decide to take a stroll. They had walked a few steps already when Tsubasa took her hand in his. She suddenly remembered Haru and the times he held her hand. This was totally different, it felt natural, and she didn't want to let go. She clasped her other hand on Tsubasa's arm and they walked down the street, both with a smile on their faces that reached their eyes.

"Ah, I have to remind you, we're going at 9 am on Saturday, mom's expecting you'll come too," she told him. "Are we using your car or mine?"

"My car, it's better for long trips," Tsubasa replied. Then he leaned his head closer to hers. "When we're there, can I sleep on your room instead?"

She immediately felt her cheeks redden. "No way!"

"I had to take my chances," he grinned. "Your cup's larger than I expected, by the way." WHACK!

Epilogue

"In the end, that friend was able to go back to school, and we went on to our final year with all of us together. We safely made it to our graduation too," architect-professor Misaki laughed at the burst of complaints from the students. She had told them the story of the various things she and her friends faced during their college years. "I did not tell that story just because I wanted to share my love story. My point is, do not take for granted the friends that you have now. Architecture is a highly individual course, and a very time-consuming one. You'll be spending nights working on just one plate. You probably won't even have the time to go out and just have fun."

She pointed at them. "The faces you see right now, will still be the faces you see for the next few years. You just might get tired of each other, actually. But that set of faces is also the same set of faces that will be helping you out, crying and rejoicing with you in every plan you draw, scrap or pass. And who knows, the one right for you might be among those faces too; he or she may be that person you don't talk too much, or that person you're too comfortable with," she then got up from sitting on the table. "Well, that's the end of my lecture, I guess. And this is also the end of my lecture for you guys. I don't teach higher Architecture classes and I do hope none of you guys have to be in my class again next term."

"Sensei, what about your guy best friend, the one who rejected the scholarship, did you become a couple?" one student asked. She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. These youngsters.

"Let's just say that he's still very much my best friend," she answered. "Any more questions?"

"Sensei, in line with what you said about friends and all, what will be the best advice you'd like to give us?" a female student raised her hand.

"Never, ever get drunk when the one closest to you among the people you're drinking with, and will most likely take you home, is of the opposite sex," her face suddenly turned comically blank. "I could have married a much more handsome guy if not for that."

The girl blushed while all the guys laughed. One guy raised his hand. "Sensei, does that mean you would have chosen someone else if things didn't turn out the way it did?"

She smiled. "I guess even if things didn't turn out the way it did, even if someone much more handsome did come along, I simply would have married later. My husband can be a bit untidy, but no one could have lasted living under the same roof with me except for him."

"Oooh, sensei is in love," the class started teasing. She just grinned.

"Speaking of my husband, I forgot one last thing. I never formally introduced myself, did I? My maiden name's Harada Misaki. But you guys know me as Andou Misaki. My formal title is Mrs. Andou Tsubasa," most eyes looking at her widened. "You guys as aspiring architects would probably know him. Yes, my husband's name is Andou Tsubasa, also an SCA alumnus and currently named as the top architect of the country. If some of you had seen a guy fetch me sometimes, that's him."

"Sensei! That's so unfair, why didn't you tell us earlier? We'd really like to meet him and interview him," she just laughed and started gathering her things.

"That's it for this class, students. You may go," she stood up and started towards the door of the lecture hall intended for the professor.

"Oh, the lecture's over," the double doors at the back end of the lecture hall suddenly opened and a guy with black hair, a bouquet of flowers in his hand, panting was there. Everyone's eyes were on him as he walked directly to the front. "I wanted to reach at least a part of your lecture for the term, guess I didn't make it in time. Well, celebratory dinner later?"

She smiled and took the flowers while he took most of her things. "Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only, Andou Tsubasa. I'm sorry but you can't interview him today though," she said as they faced her class. The students were all in awe at the presence of, probably for most of them, the one architect they all look up to and dream of becoming. Tsubasa just smiled and waved and then led her out of the lecture room.

"I take it you told them the story?" she smiled and playfully ruffled his hair.

"Remember that day we got drunk at an alumni party of SCA?" she looked up at the sky.

"Yeah, I remember you freaking out when you woke up about not even remembering a single detail of your first time rather than the fact that something happened," he laughed.

"I could have married a much more handsome guy if that didn't happen," she said.

"You'd probably back out before you even reach the church though," he grinned. "And then you'd probably pull me by the collar saying, 'screw this, let's drink, Tsubasa.' And the same would still happen."

She laughed heartily and leaned on him. "Yeah, probably."

~owari~

Final A/N: This is it. I finished Partners. And to you who made it here, thank you, thank you so much. It's been 29 chapters and 1 1/2 years but you joined me and made it here. A lot has happened in this story and I hope I tied up everything nicely. This was my take on how two people fall in love, which is a subject yours truly don't actually understand much. This was also my take on how a group of friends overcomes challenges together. It's a subject especially close to me right now (at the time of posting) because guess what, I am already a graduating student, I am already in my penultimate semester. Lately, during final exams for this semester, some of us had a hard time and this is where I realized how important having friends as your support system actually is.

Again, I apologize if I went way off schedule and updated unstably. Thank you so much, dear reader.

BONUS: Please read Holiday with Love, my New Year special. It's like a companion fic to Partners, like Summer Date, though Holiday with Love is also a Tsubasa x Misaki fic.

Lastly, in the coming days, I will probably be reuploading all the chapters because I reread some of them and I got ashamed of myself for the numerous grammar errors despite rereading the chapters multiple times before uploading. No event will be changed so you don't have to reread it all again.

This is my final thank you to you all because I won't be promising any new fics anymore. Maybe I'll just be writing one shots every now and then, but that'll be it. So I'm saying this for the last time too: please R&R! :)