Trailing down the hallway, Mondo Oowada had his hands stuffed deep in the pockets of his Crazy Diamonds jacket, lost in contemplation. These past few days had been odd; his counterpart, the hall monitor Ishimaru Kiyotaka, hadn't been chasing him all week despite him almost starting a fire on school grounds by knocking a cigarette out of someone's hands and swearing at his teacher this morning. Truth be told, it frustrated Mondo that the hall monitor had forgotten about him. Snapping his head up, he wondered in horror if maybe Ishimaru hadn't forgotten to harass him, but chose to ignore him. Maybe he was finally tired of his shitty antics.

"Shit, shit, shit!" he cried out loud, his hands threading into his matted hair. Did he really get sick of him? One of his legs shot out and slammed a nearby locker, denting its maroon surface. A taller student with bushy brown hair cowered away from Mondo, incredulously staring at his locker. With a glare, Mondo sent him sprinting down the hall, the student's notebook tumbling to the floor. Oh, that guy was in his class. Suddenly the hallway felt a little lonely. "Who needs that fuckin' hall monitor anyway? I can hang out in peace again," Mondo grumbled, stepping outside to meet his gang behind the school.

A few more days of this finally set Mondo on edge-he couldn't take it anymore. Ishimaru was just messing with him now. He figured it was time to confront him on this after school, but just as he started on his way to the classroom, he passed by the school bulletin board. The bolded letters on the top of the board served as an explanation for Mondo's uneasiness. 'Exam Week' was printed neatly, and the date next to it signaled it started in a few days. An idea dawned on Mondo; he figured Ishimaru must be studying like crazy for this instead of bugging him. A little miffed that he came second to studying, Mondo stormed off towards the classroom.

"Ishimaru Kiyotaka!" Mondo shouted as he entered the classroom, slamming open the door. Even after school he often found the hall monitor hanging out here in the empty classroom by himself. Blinking up at the gang leader, Ishimaru set down his crinkled notes. The hall monitor seemed surprised to see him, but also a little relieved. And he was certainly studying like Mondo had predicted.

"Oowada-kun! Are you here to study?!" he excitedly stood up, his eyes glittering like a bunny rabbit in a field of carrots. There was no way he could say no to that look. His cheeks tinting red, Mondo swung his head to face away from Ishimaru.

"Y-Yeah, why not?" he mumbled, bending down and fumbling inside his own dusty desk for his homework. Ishimaru's face beamed with pride like he had just won the lottery or somethin', much to Mondo's embarrassment. Patting the chair next to him rapidly, Ishimaru motioned for Mondo to sit down.

"What do you require help with from this semester?" Ishimaru questioned, spreading out his own notes so Mondo could see them.

"I-I don't need help with nothin'!" Mondo huffed, his pride sticking out like a sore thumb. After a second, he realized that if he did well on the exam, Ishimaru wouldn't think he was too useless to scold after all. Then maybe he'd get to see him again and things would go back to normal. Hesitantly, he pointed to one of his worksheets. "This one, first," he mumbled, almost regretting his decision to actually study. He had no clue what they were even learning anymore, since he skipped class so often.

"Ah, the superb functions of trigonometry! Do not worry, I will help you understand for sure! We will work hard!" Ishimaru encouraged him, his eyes burning with passion for the challenge. As the hall monitor explained the complex formulas and syntax, Mondo found himself being absorbed in the problems with him. It was actually much easier to understand than he thought with Ishimaru guiding him through each step and eventually he was able to get through them on his own. Ishimaru praised him whenever he solved a problem, and Mondo began to enjoy joking around with him in between problems. They moved on to all different subjects: literature, grammar, biology, psychology, and history. At one point the janitor kicked them out of the classroom because it was getting so late, and they had to exit the building, arms loaded with their notes.

"If you wanted to continue studying, you could c-come over to my house," Ishimaru invited him as casually as possible, a blush spreading across his cheeks. At the sudden invitation, Mondo's mouth twitched upward into a smile.

"Uh, yeah, that'd be cool," he swallowed anxiously, not mentally prepared but willing to wing it. A few hours at the hall monitor's place could be dangerous. He imagined the place to be entirely spick-and-span, with domineering parents and rules for everything. It might be too much for a punk like him to handle. But when would he have the chance to be alone with Ishimaru again? This was the first time in a week they'd even spoken. Mondo shook his negative thoughts away and clapped the hall monitor on the back.

"I-I will call my parents and let them know I will be having a friend over!" Ishimaru stammered happily, whipping out his flip phone from his pocket. A friend? Mondo blanched at him, his eyebrows raised. The guy fuckin' chased him around the hallways everyday for chrissake, that wasn't friendship. Actually, Mondo didn't know how to describe their relationship. It seemed like some tragic love story if anything, since they hung out together without letting anyone see. A hall monitor and a gang leader weren't allowed to be friends, it was just against all social norms.

"They said it was okay!" Ishimaru broke into his thoughts, a wide grin of relief on his face. Well, it didn't matter if it was forbidden of whatever, Mondo wanted to visit Ishimaru's house, and he was going to no matter the consequences. Leading him across town, Ishimaru chatted with Mondo excitedly about the upcoming exams, saying how he wanted to make it into the top ten again. As they crossed over a tiny wooden bridge, they arrived onto a secluded road on the edge of town. A forest towered around the few houses stationed here, providing a lush green atmosphere; a small stream under the bridge bubbled peacefully, the water rippling with waves from the small trout swimming in it.

Shyly reaching over and gripping Mondo's hand, Ishimaru lead him to the house under a blossoming magnolia tree. On the front porch an older gentleman sat in a rocking chair, a thick novel in his weathered hands. Flipping the page, he glanced up as he heard footsteps tromping up the porch stairs. The man closed the book, set it down and peered up at them, having to squint in the dim lighting.

"Father! T-This is my friend, Oowada-kun!" Ishimaru introduced, raising Mondo's hand with his own and anxiously showing him off.

Jaw dropping, the man examined Mondo with apparent bewilderment, taking in the funky hairstyle and open biker jacket. Just then, another figure stepped out onto the porch, a woman with silky black hair in a bun with an apron tied around her neck.

"Oh my!" the woman exclaimed, her hand fluttering to her mouth once she absorbed the black lining around Mondo's eyes and bandages wrapping his stomach. A sinking feeling bubbled up in Mondo's gut, dreading their verbal rejection. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come after all, now-

"Father, Mother, this is my friend, Oowada-kun," Ishimaru repeated himself, tears forming in his eyes as he noticed his parents hesitation. Deciding to grit his teeth and get it over with, Mondo stepped forward and dipped his head in respect.

"H-Hey, nice to meet you. I promise I'll take care of your son," he stuttered, trying to keep a cool facade even though he was nervously sweating. Damn, he wasn't used to being polite. His manners sucked big time.

A big smile spread across their faces as they each wrapped an arm around their son.

"Dinner is ready, if you would like to join us, young man," Ishimaru's mother kindly offered. A surprised grin etched itself onto Mondo's face, and he nodded fervently before heading inside after the content family. They gathered around the dinner table and chattered happily with one another, and Mondo was glad Ishimaru had been raised in such a loving family. Their long discussion over rice and steamed vegetables ended as they waved to Ishimaru's parents to trek up the stairs.

Ishimaru's room was as orderly and spot-free as Mondo had expected-perhaps even more so. Ishimaru gestured for him to sit anywhere, and he heaped all his study materials onto the wooden desk. They scribbled notes down for a few minutes, occasionally checking their work with each other.

"Hey, Oowada-kun," Ishimaru mumbled, taking a seat beside the gang leader. "Why did you go to the classroom to find me today?" His blazing-red eyes pierced up at him, and Mondo had no choice but to turn away from their intensity.

"I was worried," he swallowed, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "I thought you were ignorin' me, or somethin' happened to you...but I'm glad it was just because of exams." A few tears welled up in the hall monitor's eyes, and for a second Mondo panicked. Did he say somethin' wrong?! Damnit, and here he thought they were doin' so we-

A warm pair of arms flung around him, and the weight of Ishimaru's body toppled him over backwards. After a few shocked seconds of being locked in his embrace, Mondo's arms wrapped around his slim figure and held him close to his chest.

"Y-You were worried about me?" Ishimaru's face heated up, and Mondo could feel his tinged cheeks on the bare part of his chest. Unable to answer, he just nodded and rubbed the hall monitor's back in soothing circles until he slowly untangled his arms around him.

Ishimaru hovered over him, his hands firmly on the floor on either side of Mondo. The scarlet trace on Ishimaru's cheeks and the tears glittering in his eyes were only a few inches from his own face. Up this close, he could make out the details of his uniform-the gold trim, the smooth fabric. But the slightly parted mouth as he glanced down at Mondo in contentedness really got to him. The entire pose was too damn seductive for his liking.

Without even thinking about what he was doing, or the consequences, Mondo brought his fingers up to Ishimaru's face. His thumb stroked his pale skin, then slid around to the back of his head, fingers gripping his coal-coloured hair. He pulled his face to his and pressed their lips together softly, relaxing once he felt Ishimaru's arms once again hook around his neck. Mondo kissed him gently for a few moments before realizing what he was doing. With a slight shove, he scrambled away from the hall monitor and covered his mouth. His entire face was beet-red.

"Oowada-kun...?" Ishimaru's voice warbled, and his eyes locked onto him intensely. "Why did you...?" The silence hung in the air between them, suffocating Mondo until he climbed to his feet to face the kneeling Ishimaru. Averting his eyes, Mondo had difficulty forcing words up his throat, and he was beginning to sweat like crazy. Fuck. What did he do? He just threw away their entire friendship on impulse, and now...!

"I-Ishimaru! The truth is, I...l-l-love you!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, eyes spinning. He still couldn't confess properly, he'd just had to mess it up. He'd blown it now. Ishimaru just stared up at him, dumbstruck. Mondo started to shuffle over to the door, embarrassed and ready to never show up to school again.

"Oowada-kun, I love you too." The words pierced through him and his foot paused in midair. What the fuck did he just say? Slowly placing his foot on the ground, he swiveled his head to return Ishimaru's flustered gaze. Both of their jaws were hanging slightly open, but Ishimaru had an expression of pure determination that countered his own unconfident one. A sort of relieved laughter rippled through Mondo's chest, and he had to steady himself against a bookcase before he could collapse. "W-What's so funny?" Ishimaru gaped at him, hopping to his feet and zooming over to where he stood.

"I'm just...damnit, I'm so fuckin' happy," a few tears streaked down his face and he kept laughing, Ishimaru using his precious uniform sleeve to mop up the liquid.

They both smiled at each other, the tense atmosphere between them breaking. Without another word, Mondo extended his hand and firmly clasped Ishimaru's. They trooped downstairs, Mondo intent on leaving the house before he did anything more to poor Ishimaru's innocence. His parents were still downstairs, containing their laughter. Mondo could tell they'd heard his belted-out confession. He wasn't sure how, but his face became a fiery scarlet ten times worse than it previously had been.

"Oowada-kun, are you sure you have to leave? You could sleepover if you want," Ishimaru began, but Mondo slapped a hand over his mouth before he could say another word.

Ishimaru's parents broke down into a fit of quiet giggles as Mondo gritted his teeth.

"Err, no, I'd better leave. I wouldn't wanna, I mean," he cut himself off before he embarrassed himself further. With a jaunty little wave, he nearly tripped down the steps as he glanced back at Ishimaru one last time. Fuck, he was such a dork in front of him. But he didn't mind, since Ishimaru seemed to like him like that anyway. And he wouldn't change that for anythin' in the world.