Author's note: school system here will follow Canadian education system since it is one I am most familiar with. Regarding genre, I am not quite sure how to classify this story. I am hoping there will be some drama. some humour, some romance, and possibly even some action. So for now, it is general/romance story. This story is inspired by a one-shot manga entitled "Party 7" by Kamata Atsuki. The manga basically told a story of a group of law enforcer called the Seventh district city guard.

Reviews/constructive criticisms are definitely welcome! Thanks.

Chapter 1: The Welcoming Committee

"Good morning. Thank you for coming to the meeting on time," Mirabelle walked into the meeting room briskly, nodding at the men sitting around a large round table. She was brisk and business-like as usual. She carried a stack of folders under her arm. Her secretary and daughter, Julia, a cheerful and efficient girl, was trailing behind her. As usual.

"Everybody is here? Good. Let us start," She continued, after making sure that all her staff were present. "This morning I have an announcement I would like to make..." She paused and looked around the room. "...our request for more staff has been granted. Starting today, all the field agents will have a partner!" She added with triumph.

Then she started to hand over folders to her staff. "Elliot, your new partner is Denny. Vaughn, you get Mark".

Vaughn opened his folder, and looked at a picture of a blond young man with green eyes smiling back at him. "I don't want a partner, Chief. You know I work better alone," He closed his folder, and scowled at Mirabelle.

"What about me? Why am I not getting a partner?" Pierre asked, pointing at himself, pouting.

"Here, you can have him, if you want," Vaughn slid the folder across the table towards Pierre.

"Yay...thanks Vaughn," Pierre reached for the folder, his eyes widen.

"No," Mirabelle snatched the folder from Pierre, and slid it back towards Vaughn. "Did you not hear what I just said? All field agents are getting a partner. Pierre, you are not a field agent, so you are not getting one. Vaughn, you are getting a partner. Period. Oh yes, especially you, Vaughn dear. There had been complaints against you from our guests. Maybe a partner will help you with your attitude".

"But..."

Mirabelle raised her hand to shut Vaughn up. "Please Vaughn, stop complaining. It is the new policy of the Welcoming Committee".

"Come on, Vaughn. It won't be that bad," Julia who was sitting beside Vaughn, whispered to the silver-haired man. She reached for Vaughn's folder, opened it, and peered at Mark's picture. "Aw, look at him. He is awfully cute. I am sure he will make a really good partner. Hey, and he went to the same high school as you did".

"Since when cuteness becomes important in this job, Julia?" Vaughn snapped. Sometimes Julia said the stupidest thing, he thought. But he gave the content of the folder a second glance. Julia was right of course, Mark did go to the same high school as him. Looking at the graduation year, Mark must be a freshman when Vaughn was in his senior years. Huh, now that I think about it, Vaughn pondered as he gave Mark's picture a closer look. His face does look familiar. Vaughn raked his brain, but he couldn't remember where he had seen Mark before. Obviously, not in any of his classes. He shrugged.

"Tsk...come on Vaughn. It is obviously one of the qualifications for this job. We are the face of Sunshine Island to the rest of the world. We have to present our best, and cutest faces forward, don't you agree? Why did you think we recruit you?" Julia looked at Vaughn pointedly.

Vaughn frowned. "You are really annoying some days".

Julia giggled in response. She liked to tease Vaughn, ruffling his feathers so to speak. Vaughn could be too serious and uptight, she thought. He ought to loosen up a little, and go with the flow, she thought.

Mirabelle looked at her watch.

"Ah! They should be arriving in the office at any moment now. Julia dear, could you please put out a couple more coffee mugs? All of you, please excuse me for a moment," the Chief nodded to the rest of the room. She patted her ginger hair as she walked out of the meeting room.

Few minutes later, she was back, with two young men in tow. "Everybody, please meet our new agents," Mirabelle went around the table to make introduction. "We will all work hard together, won't we dears?"

Mark stared at Vaughn, who wasn't looking at him. It's him, Mark thought, it is really him. He couldn't believe his own eyes. He felt his face burning. However, Vaughn didn't seem to remember him, so Mark offered his hand for a handshake.

"Nice to meet you. I am looking forward working with you," Mark said.

"Yeah, sure," Vaughn grunted, ignoring Mark's hand. After a moment, Mark withdrew his hand awkwardly. Yup, and he is still as rude as ever, Mark thought.

"Everybody, please sit down..."

"Ah, er...did you know that we went to the same high school?" Mark sat beside Vaughn, trying to make small talk.

"Sure. I saw your bio," Vaughn grunted.

"So welcome Mark and Denny to the Welcoming Committee!" Mirabelle beamed at the new recruits. "Your senior partners will show you the ropes, and if you have any question, please do not hesitate to ask me, your new Chief".

"As you know," Mirabelle continued. Her expression was serious. "Our job is to welcome any foreign ambassadors, diplomats or royalties who visit our beloved Sunshine Island. Our job is to make sure that they feel comfortable, and at home during their stay here. Elliot and Denny will be responsible for all our guests' financial and accommodation arrangement. Pierre will be concerned mostly with public relation and press release. Vaughn and Mark will oversee day-to-day activity and security for our guests. If any of you need any paperwork done, or any receipts paid, please talk to Julia. Everybody understand? Good!" Mirabelle clasped her hands together.

"And please remember our motto: Accommodating, Courteous, and Tactful. Or ACT!" Mirabelle looked around the table and beamed once more.

Mark snorted a little.

"What?" Vaughn said, glancing at his new partner sideways.

"Nothing...nothing..." Mark said with a low voice. Vaughn, accommodating? Hah, I would like to see that, Mark thought. He fought an urge to snort once more.

"Okay, so senior agents, if you can show your new partners around, it will be appreciated. I have booked a dinner reservation at the Inn for seven pm today, to properly welcome our junior agents, so I will see all of you there. Meeting is adjourned", Mirabelle said. Then she nodded at Julia, "I have some letters that I need you to type dear..."

"Cheers!" It was now evening, and the group had gathered together at the Inn for dinner and drinks. The food had finally arrived, and everybody had at least two drinks already. Everybody was in high spirit.

"This is great food! Thanks for inviting us, Chief!" Mark said as he started to stuff his face with his dinner.

"You are welcome, dearie. It is my job to make you feel welcome. We, after all, are the Welcoming Committee. Hospitality is our specialty," Mirabelle smiled at Mark.

"Yo Bambi! Cheers!" Denny lifted his beer towards Mark. "I can't believe we get to work in the same place! This is cool or what?"

"Denny, stop calling me that. We are not in university anymore," Mark muttered with a low voice, hoping that no one had heard Denny calling him by his university nickname. Mark's face was turning crimson.

"Bambi?" Vaughn eyed Mark questioningly.

"Yup. Mark is part of the track and field team right? And one day, one of our teammates started to call him Bambi. And it kinda stuck after a while..." Denny grinned at Mark.

Mark face turned even redder. He was speechless. Please don't let that nickname stick, he prayed silently. Please don't let it stick. He really, really, wanted to forget that people used to call him that in university.

"Hey Bambi. Your ears are turning red," Vaughn snorted, as he poked Mark's ear lightly. He had quite a lot of drinks already, and he felt pretty relaxed.

"Don't call me Bambi!" Mark hissed at Vaughn.

Vaughn snorted even louder.

"So...er, how fast can you run, Bambi?" Elliot smirked. He pushed his glasses up his nose with a delicate finger.

"Bambi...like the deer Bambi?" Pierre asked Denny.

"Oooh...I like that nickname, Bambi. It's so cute!" Julia swooned.

Mark covered his face with his hands, as the table roared with laughter. This first day didn't go as well as he had hoped for. This is a nightmare, he thought.

A little after midnight, Nick, the inn keeper, finally decided to kick the mostly drunk Welcoming Committee out.

"Okay, team, listen!" Mirabelle said. "It is your responsibility...to get your drunker partner home safely, okay?" She glanced around at the group. Pierre was leaning on Denny, and Denny was leaning on Elliot. Julia was a little red-faced, and was giggling uncontrollably. Vaughn was swaying as Mark caught his arm trying to steady the taller man.

"You are very muscular...hic! Do you work out? Hic!" Pierre asked Denny, while feeling up Denny's biceps.

"So, Elliot, could you please make sure that Denny gets home. Julia and I, will take Pierre. And Mark, please ensure that Vaughn gets home safely," Mirabelle said, prying Pierre off Denny.

Mark nodded wordlessly. His heart was thumping hard in his ears, and he hoped that no one else could hear it.

"But I wanna go home with Denny..." Pierre whined.

"See ya tomorrow, Bambi!" Denny waving enthusiastically. Then he lurched forward, bringing Elliot down with him. "Ugh...I don't feel so good..."

Mark was feeling buzzed, but obviously he was not as drunk as Vaughn who couldn't even stand up straight. His heart was still thumping hard, as he hailed a cab. Vaughn leaning on him, was making him feeling warm and uncomfortable.

"Vaughn, where is your house key? Take out your keys for me please," Mark said, as they stood in front of Vaughn's apartment. But Vaughn merely muttered something unintelligible. Mark sighed. This is awkward, he thought as he gently leaned the taller man against the wall, and searched Vaughn's pants and suit pockets for keys. He felt his face burning. Finally he found what he was looking for, and he unlocked the apartment door.

"Come on, Vaughn. We are almost there," Mark pulled Vaughn's arm around his neck to steady him, and stepped into Vaughn's apartment.

It was a bachelor apartment, somewhat clean and sparsely furnished. There was a sofa, a coffee table, a big bed, a big flat screen TV and a small bookcase. Mark dropped Vaughn on the bed. He sighed with relief. What the hell is Vaughn made of, he thought. That guy is so heavy. Vaughn grumbled about something before finally passing out.

After a moment of hesitation, Mark removed Vaughn's shoes, and loosened the other man's tie. He grunted as he rolled Vaughn over, and struggled to remove his suit jacket.

Then Mark walked to the closet to hung the suit jacket. He lined Vaughn's shoes neatly by the door. He glanced back at Vaughn for one last time, before he finally left, and closed the door behind him.

Mark decided to walk back home to sober up. The spring night was breezy and cloudless. As he walked, Mark thought of his high school days. He was fourteen, going on fifteen, just starting the ninth grade, when he laid his eyes on Vaughn for the first time. Vaughn was eighteen, and was in his final year of high school. There was a rumor that Vaughn was dating a guy named Will at that time. No, Mark shook his head. He recalled the look in Vaughn's violet eyes, as the silver-haired man glanced at Will. The look told Mark that it wasn't just a rumor.

Mark remembered his fourteen year old self thinking, wishing, with all his heart, that Vaughn would turn around, and look at him that way as well. But Vaughn had never seemed to notice him. Then Mark had found out that Vaughn had belonged to the school field and track team, so Mark had impulsively joined the track team as well.

He looked at the stars, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. Why am I thinking about this? After eight years? He wondered. And the funny thing was that, he didn't even remember me, Mark thought ruefully. He sighed.

Come on, get a grip, he told himself silently as he continued walking towards his own apartment. You are a grown man, and you have a career now. You can't let your boyhood's first crush to get in a way. Just go to work, do your job, and you will be fine, he told himself. There is a reason why it is called "First Love", Mark thought. It implies that it did not last, doesn't it? It implies that it is just one of many...

End of Chapter 1