[an] (actually learned it was a/n after a while, so I kinda changed it orz) I had this idea bothering my mind for the longest time. I needed to slap it down. I tried to make it mostly conversation rather than action - just because it's easier, I dunno - so here it is.

"Bon, y' got some cash?"

"Nah. Not on me. Go ask Koneko for some."

"Kone—ko—ma—ru—"

"Sorry, Shima-san. I don't have any either."

"Damn it."

In the sidelines, Rin listened to the conversation between the trio, mind wandering to possibilities.

"Bon..."

"...Ne, Bon."

Suguro frowned. "The hell did y' just call me?"

Rin grinned. "Bon?"

"Don't."

"Boo," Rin's tail swung behind him as the grin became a pout, "but Konekomaru and Shima get to call you it."

"Yeah. Don't care. Don't."

"But Bon—"

"No."

"...If not Bon, what about Suguro-chan?"

"I will maul you, Okumura."

"Sugi-chan?"

The grimace was clear as day.

"What's so bad 'bout callin' me Suguro?"

"I always call ya that," Rin protested, "so I feel like I should call you somethin' else."

"Why?"

"Friends call each other nicknames, right?"

"No."

"Yeah."

"Your point?"

"That Sugi-chan doesn't fit at all so it'd be your friend-name."

"Friend-name?"

"Made it up right now."

"Sounds stupid enough."

"So you'll let me—"

"Hell no."

"So I was thinkin'..."

"Here we go again."

"Sugoi-chan?"

"...How 'bout hell no?"

"Sugoi-channn!"

"...You're never gonna stop, are ya?"

"Guro-chan?"

"...Good God, go back to Sugoi-chan."

"Huh?"

"Why're ya so fixed on '-chan'?"

"Just 'cause... I'unno. Sounds more personal?"

"What if I called ya 'Okumura-chan'?"

"Ew. No."

"Ew? How old're you again?"

"Sugi-chan, don't ever call me that again or I'll hafta knock your cool points down by fifty."

"...Cool points...?"

"...Why're ya lookin' at me like that?"

"..."

"Quit it."

"..."

"Okumura, I swear—"

"Suguro-san."

"..."

"...Yeah, I think it's weird, too."

"Suguro-chan-san."

"...What anime'd ya get that from, 'xactly?"

"What? I didn't..."

"..."

"...Free."

"S'what I thought."

"Dude, I got somethin'!"

"Whassit now?"

"Suguro-sama."

"...!"

"Woah—Suguro, are you okay? You're all red alluva sudden..."

"I can't believe you did that."

"I—I didn't know it was your tail!"

"You kept... touching it..."

"...I didn't notice..."

"How didn't you notice?! I was telling you t' stop and everything!"

"...Sorry."

"..."

"...So that's why y' kept makin' weird... faces... sounds..."

"...You're not sorry..."

"Wha?"

"...Sug-ero."

"Eh—!?"

"Sug-ero!"

"Shit—don't yell it so loudly in the cafeteria!"

"Sug-ero!"

"Augh! I promise I'll never do it again!"

"Naa..."

"Sugi-chan?"

"...What if I called ya 'Rin'?"

"S... Suguro! What—"

"Ha! Got ya back for last week!"

"...I think... it'd be okay..."

"..."

"O-only 'cause it keeps me and Yukio apart!"

"Y-yeah."

"..."

"..."

"So... Rin, huh."

"...If you call me Rin..."

"Yeah...?"

"Can I call you Ryuuji?"

"...Oku—I mean... Rin, sometimes I wonder if you're doin' it all intentionally."

"?"

"Ryuuji!"

"Rin."

"What if I said—"

"—If it's another name, I don't wanna hear it."

"Ryuu-chan?"

"I... ain't a kid, Rin. That's just..."

"But you're red again... s'that mean you like it?"

"..."

"Woah... I didn't know it was possible to get even redder..."

"Just stop talkin' already."

"Ryuuji. Ryuuji. Ryuuuji. Ryuji. Ryuu—oo—ji."

"...What're ya doin' now."

"I'm tryin' to make up your friend-name."

"I thought..."

"Ryuu-oji-san?"

"No."

"Ryuu-ojii."

"No."

"...You're pretty slow, though..."

"I ain't the spawn of Satan. Don't expect me t' suddenly gain superhuman speed."

"Still..."

"Dude—dude! I thought of an awesome one."

"...Why do I suddenly have a bad feelin' 'bout all this...?"

"Sug-ero Ryuu-oji!"

"Wha—I haven't done anythin'!"

"Hahaha!"

"...You're impossible, Rin."

"G'mornin', Ryuuji."

"Ryuuji?" Shima and Konekomaru echoed to each other, sending wide-eyed glances at their companion.

Unaffected, Suguro nodded. "Mornin', Rin."

"Rin?!" their jaws slackened and Shima fell off his seat.

"...What's wrong with Shima?" Rin whispered toward Suguro and Suguro shrugged.

"Dunno."

"Actually," Konekomaru mumbled, "Shima-san and I are surprised by how familiar you guys are actin' with each other."

Rin blinked, pursed his lips out. "Eh?"

"First name basis..." Shima dazedly muttered from the ground. "How many bases have ya passed, Bon?"

"Bases?!" Suguro spluttered.

"We ran for the bus with each other?" Rin's input was completely off the mark, thus ignored.

"Ri—" Suguro's eyebrow twitched and he continued, "—Okumura's got some weird desire t' stamp a nickname on me. Nothin' weird like you're thinkin'."

"Why didn't ya try 'Bon,' Okumura-kun?" Konekomaru inquired.

Rin shrugged and pouted. "Already tried."

"...Exactly what else've ya tried, Okumura-kun?" Shima asked curiously.

"Rin, I swear if ya tell'em, I'll—"

"Sugi-chan was the first one," Rin tapped one of his fingers, letting it straighten to signify 'number one.'

"Sugi-chan?" Shima snickered.

Suguro scowled.

"Then it was Sugoi-chan."

"Ha! Suits ya just right, huh, Bon?" Shima laughed.

"Shut up 'fore I—"

"Shh! Keep goin', Okumura-kun," Konekomaru urged, curiosity piquing further than Shima's.

"Kone—" Suguro's jaw dropped. "Konekomaru!"

The bald teen smiled sheepishly. "I wanna hear them all."

"Well..." Rin drawled, "I called him Guro-chan, but it was a definite no."

"Guro-chan," Shima snorted. "Seen that forum. Once was enough."

"Guro...?" Konekomaru looked lost and Shima waved it off with a closed-eye smile.

"Nothin'."

Suguro grimaced, "...Sure wasn't nothin' when ya showed me."

"I'm still tryin' t' forget, thank you," Shima shuddered.

"...Okay..." Rin muttered, "anyway, Suguro-san was awkward, so I tried Suguro-chan-san—"

"Free?" Konekomaru interjected.

Rin nodded, "He saw through it, too. After that, I went with Suguro-sama and he was all red."

"Yeah?"

"And then he touched my tail, so I went with Sug-ero."

Said teen ran his hand through his hair, avoiding the pointed looks of his group as he flushed and grumbled, "I didn't know it was his tail, damn it."

"Yeah, you did," Rin grumbled back, "but eventually you called me Rin and I thought it'd be okay to call you Ryuuji."

"Bon started it?" Shima grinned, slapping Suguro's shoulder. "How forward."

"I-it's t' distinguish between him and sensei!" Suguro growled weakly, knowing he was only fighting a losing battle.

"It was cool and all," Rin continued, "but I thought it'd be better if I had another friend-name."

"...Friend-name?" Konekomaru repeated, furrowing his brows.

"He made it up," Suguro muttered.

A joined "ohhh" from Konekomaru and Shima displayed a sense of understanding and Rin put his hands on his hips.

"Wha's that s'posed to mean?!"

"Seems very like ya, Okumura-kun," Konekomaru explained, nodding.

Rin let it slide, frowning. "...at some point, I went with Ryuu-chan and he was all for it."

"No, I wasn't."

"But you said—"

"Just say the next one, damn it."

Shima and Konekomaru shared a look but said nothing when Suguro fixated a glare at them.

"...Ryuu-oji and Ryuu-ojii."

"He does act like an old man sometimes," Shima agreed, cried out when he received a punch to his head.

"I dare ya t' say that again, Shima."

"Lastly," Rin interrupted the two, eying them, "I called him..."

"Okumura."

"But Ryuuji..."

"I said no, Rin."

"Aww," crossing his arms, Rin pouted. "C'mon, Ryuu-chan."

"I said not t' call me that in public!"

"He is like Ryuu-ojii," Shima murmured into Konekomaru's ear.

"The hell was that, Shima? Did I hear ya right? Ya wanna say that again?"

"Uh... Ryuu-ojii?—ack!"

"Let go of his neck, Bon-kun!"

"Ryuuji, stop!"

It took Rin and Konekomaru's combined efforts to stop Suguro from strangling Shima.

"Ryuu-chan."

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you give me a nickname?"

"I thought I'd lose 'cool points' or somethin'."

"That was for your lame 'Okumura-chan'-thing."

"Y' call that lame..."

"So Rin's okay?"

"Rin's a nice name. Why change it?"

"...I'unno whether I should dock cool points or..."

"...?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

"...Whatever y' say, Rin."

[an] I may or may not add another chapter. Maybe a follow-up fic. But for the most part, it's done.