Title: One Step Back

Rating: PG-13

Warning: None

Disclaimer: The only thing I own in this story is Hiroki's brown coat…

A/N: A story that was inspired by my fanart "Big Brother Hiroki" (you could find it on my DA page XD). I love Junjou Minimum and why not throw in some more appearances? I'd love to find out what happened if the characters have already met before… And so this was born… also, sorry for the typos and mistakes you found… English is not my first language…

Hiroki Kamijou was undoubtedly a busy boy, with loads of courses and extras he had to attend everyday. Sometimes he couldn't even find the time to pay attention to things outside his own little world.

But he was not in any way ignorant.

So when he coincidentally met with this little boy wandering around the streets with a troubled look on his face, Hiroki silently concluded that the little boy was lost and gave his sympathy silently. He would've helped if he had time, but his kendo practice would start soon and he couldn't afford being late. But then the little stranger briefly landed his dark blue eyes to Hiroki in a sort of pleading way. The fifth-grader blinked and found that he couldn't leave the boy like that, kendo or no kendo.

So Hiroki had approached the smaller boy and asked what was wrong.

"… I'm lost…" the response was whispered, the boy's head bent down and the corners of his mouth pulled down in a frown.

Hiroki kneeled down and looked up to the boy, noticing how the midnight hair framed the small face. The boy was rather slim, but with soft-looking chubby cheeks every child seemed to posses.

"Look, I'm going to get you to the police station, okay?" Hiroki said in the most assuring tone he could muster.

The boy silently nodded.

Hiroki stood up and started walking, memorizing where the nearest police station was. He huffed rather angrily when he remembered that the police station was in the opposite direction from the dojo. It was guaranteed that he would be late today. Perhaps he shouldn't have approached this boy in the first place…

"Nii-san…?"

"Uh? N-no… I'm fine, just talking to myself…" He said to the boy trailing behind him.

Well, he had involved himself into this, and Hiroki Kamijou never backed out.

The walk was quiet. The small boy didn't initiate any small talks and so did Hiroki, who started to feel rather uneasy with the silence, especially when the other continuously bent his head and had this anxious expression.

But the thing that drew Hiroki's attention the most was the boy's clothes.

"Hey… you okay with that?"

The younger boy looked up.

"You know…" Hiroki scratched his cheek, trying to find a way to ask without offending the other. "I don't know if you're just immune or what… but it's late fall and you only wear that thin clothes… aren't you cold?"

The boy blinked and looked down at his attire. Pants, turtle neck shirt, gloves and a jacket "Well… yes… but I'll manage. It's only until I get home anyway…"

"Why don't you wear coat or something?" Hiroki looked down at his own clothes, comparing it. His mother had insisted that he wore a coat with a jacket underneath, scarf, and also gloves. He protested that it was not winter yet, but as usual, his mother didn't hear any of it.

"I only plan to go outside for a bit… and the number of coat we have is limited. Perhaps the others need it more than me…"

"You have big family?"

The other boy shook his head. "I live in orphanage."

Hiroki's eyes widened. So this kid was an orphan? He knew that orphans were a bit sensitive to the subject of family. That was what his mother told him, anyway. He never met one… until now. He didn't hurt the boy's feelings or something, right?

"… Oh, right… um, how old are you again?" Hiroki riveted the subject rather lamely. Well, he never met someone like this and slipped his tongue before, so it was only natural that he was unsure of what to do next.

"Six…" okay, that made him four years younger than Hiroki was.

"You don't talk much, huh?" Hiroki frowned at the boy. The other reminded him a bit of Akihiko…

The boy looked up at him. "I'm sorry…"

"W-what for? I don't mean it like it's bad or something!" Hiroki was slightly taken aback by the unexpected answer.

"But you look like you're angry…"

Hiroki sighed. "Look, that's just the way I am, okay? I'm not mad or anything…"

"…"

The smaller boy still looked unsure of that.

Hiroki found out that he didn't like how that dark blue eyes were affecting him. He felt like he had to prove that he was not in any way offended. But how?

The young Kamijou got an idea when he saw that the other boy was hugging himself the entire time.

"Look. Here," Hiroki unwound his brown coat and draped it on the boy's shoulder. It slipped lightly because it was larger than the other's size.

The boy's eyes widened as the mildly heavy coat was suddenly draped over him like that.

"Um…?" the dark-haired boy searched for some form of explanation in Hiroki's brown eyes.

"For you." Hiroki said curtly. "See? I'm not mad, okay? That's the proof. I'm giving it to you, someone who's mad won't give others presents, right?" Hiroki said, not noticing how jumbled the statement was.

"But…"

"If I said it's for you then it's for you!" Hiroki cut the other off. "You said that you have limited coat, right? Then that's for you so you don't have to worry about not getting a coat anymore… and yes I still have more in my house so you don't have to worry!"

"…" the smaller boy found no room for further argument, so he settled for inserting his arms into the sleeves of the coat. The bigger coat looked rather silly on him, not to mention the brown color clashed rather horribly with the shirt he was wearing, but a genuine smile was plastered on the boy's face.

"Thank you," he looked up at Hiroki with a bright smile. "It's warm…"

Up until moments ago, the only expressions etched to the other's face was one of anxiety and nervousness. Hiroki was somewhat glad the other could smile after all...

"Hey… I haven't asked for your name, have I?" the brown-haired boy looked down at the happy-looking younger boy.

The small boy shook his head, before stretching his hand out to Hiroki.

"I'm----"

Hiroki Kamijou slammed down his hand to his obnoxiously loud alarm clock.

He slowly sat up and rubbed his palm over his eyes, squeezing the sleep out.

"What was that… a dream? Why now?" he remembered that event in his childhood. But the rest after that was rather vague. He remembered that he had managed to bring the smaller boy to the police station, he remembered that he had gotten scolded by his kendo teacher and got extra laps as punishment. He remembered his mother had asked about his coat's whereabouts, and wrapped her son in a fierce hug knowing that Hiroki gave it off for a good deed. That was it.

What was the boy's name…?

The assistant professor thought hard yet no name came up. His further thoughts were disturbed by the sound of lock clicking and familiar voice called out.

"Hiro-san! I'm home!"

Hiroki perked up at the sound of his lover. He cursed himself as he fought a blush that rose to his cheeks.

"Hiro-san?" Nowaki opened the bedroom door and smiled when he saw Hiroki. "I'm sorry, did I wake you up?"

"No…" Hiroki ran a hand though his hair, composing himself.

"Guess what, Hiro-san?" a beaming Nowaki approached him and sat on the bed, smiling the entire time. "I visited the Kusama before I went home today… and guess what they found for me!" the taller man produced a brown package in front of Hiroki's face.

"Uh-huh…" Hiroki currently held no interest in whatever Nowaki was holding. But it was rare for Nowaki to enthusiastically tell something about himself like this… it must be something important for the young intern.

"See?" Nowaki displayed the item after he took it out from the package. "They said that they found it when they were cleaning the storage."

A small brown coat.

Hiroki's eyes widened as the feeling of familiarity rushed into him. "That's…"

"This is something I got when I was a child… and from a stranger, nonetheless. I was lost and cold that day and the boy who saved me gave me this. That was the first time I ever got something for someone else… I remembered that I treasured it so much and never allowed the others to wear it…" Nowaki smiled fondly at the memories as he fingered the hem of the old coat.

"… um, Hiro-san?" the younger man called when he got no response from Hiroki, whose eyes were still fixed on the small old brown coat displayed on the bed.

"… but that's mine…" Hiroki muttered.

"Eh?"

"That coat! That was mine! I gave it to a lost boy one day! And now you said that you got it from… it was you?" Hiroki rushed the words out, staring at Nowaki with disbelieving eyes.

"This was yours?" And it hit Nowaki. "It was you!"

Both were silent for a moment, dumbfounded.

The first one to break the silence was Nowaki. He laughed, the sound was rich and fulfilled, Hiroki would never admit that he really liked hearing that sound. The older man was about to snap about what was funny but Nowaki beat him to it by enveloping his lover on a bear hug, effectively shutting Hiroki up.

"Something like this really exists…" Nowaki said after his laugh died down. "Who would think that the boy who gave me this would become my lover?"

"Idiot!" Hiroki flushed at that word and was tempted to bonk Nowaki. "This is just a weird coincidence!"

"But it makes me think that you really are the one for me…" Nowaki said into his ear and Hiroki felt more than saw the smile that adorned Nowaki's face.

"Stupid…" Hiroki knew his face was blazing red by now. Nowaki should stop saying those cheesy words too often.

Nowaki smiled at Hiroki's retort, straightening a bit so he could give the older man a proper kiss on his lips.

"I love you, Hiro-san."

"…" Hiroki didn't answer, but his darkening blush gave away of what the brown-haired man as feeling. He opted to tuck his head on the nape of Nowaki's neck, hiding his blush.

"… idiot, I know that…"

Nowaki wrapped his arms around the man he treasured the most, burying his nose on Hiroki's hair. His hands automatically started steady stroking moves on Hiroki's back.

"Yes… and you love me back…" Nowaki was smiling rather giddily by now.

The head tucked under his chin moved a bit, signaling a slight nod.

"… yes…"

(*Fin*)

A/N: How was it? Damn, I'm so in love with these two… R&R please!