He was going to kill him in so many, many, MANY, colorful and creative ways, as soon as the bastard opened the FUCKING door.

"Shima! I'm going to murder you in your sleep!" Ryuji roared, slamming the side of his fist against the solid wood. Scorch marks bled through to blackened metal, telling just who the other person locked in the storage room was.

"Ah, Bon?" Rin yawned, knuckling one eye and sitting up from where he lay on the table. "Tha' you?"

The exwire growled, flattening his back against the door. "Ugh, yeah. Fuck, why'd I have to get stuck in here with you of all people?"

Rin pouted, crossing his arms. "What, you say that like I'm some nasty weird disease or something. And hey, you got any water?"

"...Yeah," Ryuji sighed. No helping it, was there. "Here, catch..." he dug around in his bag, pulling out a slightly dented metal bottle and tossing it over. "Should still be cold."

"Ah, awesome, man!" Rin grinned eagerly, screwing off the cap -no nevermind the straw- and taking a deep swallow. "I really needed that. I've been stuck in here for, like, an hour."

Sighing again, Ryuji sauntered over and tossed his bag on the table, pulling up a chair. "So how'd you get stuck in here?"

"Koneko asked for help," Rin pursed his lips thoughtfully, screwing the bottle's cap back on. "He pointed me in here and poof, door got locked behind me!"

Groaning, Ryuji shook his head. "Great, so he's in on it too?"

"In on what?" Rin asked innocently, blinking wide, startlingly blue eyes.

"Whatever the fuck this is," Ryuji gestured around them, nose wrinkling in disdain. "I'll betcha Kamiki is too."

"Probably Yukio, also," Rin set the bottle down, the metal making a slight 'tink' against the metal table. "He just loves torturing me... Oh! I know! I'll bet it's a wicked plot to make me study harder!" The teen looked oddly triumphant, slamming the side of one fist against the palm of his other hand.

Ryuji snickered. "I don't think anything could force you to study if you didn't want to."

"Uh-huh!" Rin nodded rapidly, swinging his feet. "Like, like, um, math! Who needs math?"

"You use math in cooking, don't you?" Ryuji arched an eyebrow, and Rin looked utterly aghast.

"Ohmigod!" His hands flew to his mouth. "Ah! I never thought about that before! But yeah, wow, like fractions and stuff! Maybe that's why I always thought fractions were easy..." he pursed his lips thoughtfully.

Ryuji snorted, smothering the sound behind his hand. "Really? You've been cooking for, what, ten years now and you've never thought of that? Not once?"

"Uh-uh," he shook his head. "Never. I guess I don't equate school stuff to real life, I guess," Rin shrugged. "I think I remember my dad telling me that once." He pursed his lips, looking oddly pensive.

The exwire frowned, chin on one fist. "You're gonna have trouble later in life, I'll bet, if you don't figure out how."

Rin whined, collapsing back against the -surprisingly sturdy- table. "But I don't know how! And I don't know who to ask for help because Yukio's always too busy!"

After only a brief moment of hesitation, Ryuji sighed and shook his head. "Ugh, I'll help you, Okumura. Might as well, I guess..."

"You-?!" Rin stared at him like he'd suddenly declared that every day was Christmas (and therefore also his birthday). "You will? Like, for reals?"

Ryuji wondered if his would regret this, even as he nodded. "Yeah, I will."

"Oh my fuck you are the best! person! ever!" Rin squealed excitedly, much like an over-eager little girl.

One could tell he was taking great effort to not launch himself up and wrap Ryuji in a tight hug -which was a good thing, right?

"...Thanks?" Ryuji arched an eyebrow but shook his head. "Don't get so excited just yet -we haven't even gotten started, Okumura... And I'm pretty sure you're gonna hate me by the time I'm through with you."

"...Okumura..."

"Hm?" the demon boy didn't look up from his textbook, frowning as he tried to figure out how they got from A to B.

"Your tail happens to be trying to get into my pants, I hope you know." Ryuji sounded vaguely amused and vaguely irritated.

Mainly amused, so Rin hoped that that was okay and he wasn't going to be assassinated in the next thirty seconds, even as he pulled his tail back to himself. "Sorry," he mumbled, blushing right pink. "It...kinda has a mind of its own..."

"So I've surmised," Ryuji arched an eyebrow.

Rin turned an even deeper shade of pink, hurriedly looking back to his textbook. "So uh, yeah...sorry..."

The older teen snickered, shaking his head. "Yeah yeah, Rin. Just try to keep an eye on that thing, okay? This is odd enough as it is."

"Sir yes sir!" Rin saluted primly, cheeks puffed out adorably.

Ryuji bit back a giggle, shaking his head. "God, you are such a dork..."

"Oi!" Rin poked his shoulder. "I will have you know I am not a whale penis!"

Ryuji blinked at him for a few seconds, then tipped out of his chair he was laughing so hard. "Ooh, oh, ow, stop, stop laughing," he wheezed, clutching his ribs.

"...Are you alright?" Rin asked, pouting.

"Fine, fine," Ryuji pulled himself back into his chair, smiling broadly. "Sorry, I was just... That took me by surprise, is all."

Rin pouted at him, wrinkling his nose. "Ugh, whatever. I'm so booored, Ryuji! Don't you have something else we can do besides schoolwork?"

"I..." he paused, then dug around in his bag. "Ah-ha!" Ryuji grinned, holding up a deck of cards triumphantly. "Do you know how to play poker, Rin?"

"Uh, I know how to play Go Fish," the raven-haired boy mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

Ryuji rolled his eyes, unwrapping the plastic from around the brand-new deck. "Ah, Go Fish. You don't even know how to play Texas Hold'm?"

"Texas what now?" Rin frowned at him, crossing his arms. "I have no idea what that is."

"...A type of poker," Ryuji sighed softly, shuffling the deck thoroughly, though with some difficultly due to the newness of the cards. "Never mind...we'll just have to find some way to make this interesting, I suppose."

"Ooh, we could play Strip Go-Fish!" Rin suggested, squirming little in his seat. "I played it with Yukio once; you have to take off an item of clothing every time the other player takes a card out of your hand and makes a pair."

Ryuji arched an eyebrow. "Sounds worth a try, I suppose," he said, dealing them each seven cards. He immediately laid down two pairs, and drew to replace them.

"Sweet!" Rin laughed, setting down a single pair and replacing that. "I'll go first! Sooo, Ryuji, you got any...sevens?"

"Go fish," he smirked.

"Ugh, not fair," Rin whined, tossing over his pants and squirming awkwardly. "How come you got all the good cards?"

Ryuji shrugged.

He had only lost his shoes, socks, jacket, and both shirts in all three games, while Rin had lost everything but his briefs.

"Nice undies, kid," Ryuji smirked, folding the pants and setting them with their other discarded clothing.

Rin turned pink, attempting to shield himself from view. "Shuddup! Don't look!"

His briefs were very Valentine's-Day-esque, with big neon pink hearts scattered across a deep scarlet background.

"I couldn't find any normal ones, damn it!" Rin whined, crossing his legs and pushing his hands against his lap.

"Well, it is almost Valentine's Day...perhaps your brother had something to do with it," Ryuji shrugged, tossing the poor boy back his shirt. "Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me."

"Me either," Rin sighed, gratefully pulling on the plain white under-shirt.

Ryuji paused, cocking his head to the side. He hummed softly, making a remark somewhere in his head, and shrugged.

"What?" Rin blinked at him, feeling a blush rise on his cheeks. "What is it?"

"You're fucking tiny, dude," Ryuji shrugged. "That shirt you're wearing is mine, and it's huge on you."

Rin scowled, fingers tightening in the loose material. "So what if I'm small? Can I have my pants back now?"

"Um...no," Ryuji shook his head, smirking mysteriously.

"Whaaaat?" Rin whined, slumping over. "That's mean! I want my pants back damn it! Why not?"

"I think you look just fine like that," Ryuji shrugged innocently, smiling almost playfully.

Rin stared at him, whole face immediately turning bright pink. His brain refused to work because holy shit he could not have possibly meant that the way it sounded like he meant.

Right?

"You're weird," Rin finally decided, shaking his head.

"I do get that occasionally," Ryuji nodded, easily shuffling the cards. "Care for another game?"

"No!" Rin squeaked, jerking back and almost tumbling out of his chair. "I like my underwear right where they are, thank you very much!"

"Alright," Ryuji shrugged, palming the deck. "If you're so scared, I guess I won't pressure you into it."

"I am not scared!" Rin exclaimed, slamming his fist onto the table. "Fine! Gimme the damn stupid cards!"

"One of these days," Ryuji remarked, even as he dealt them both cards. "Your pride is going to be your ultimate downfall."

"Oh, look who's talking," Rin scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You were the most arrogant human being I have ever had the displeasure to meet."

"Were?" Ryuji arched an eyebrow, dropping the draw pile between them and leaning back in his chair. "What happened to that? Here I was under the impression that you still hated me."

"Eh," Rin shrugged, sorting his cards. "I used to dislike you, I guess, but I never really hated you. You're a pretty cool dude, Suguro." The slim teen cracked a grin, "besides, we've saved tthe world together! Multiple times, even! That's gotta count for something, right?"

Ryuji laughed, "Yeah, something, huh?"

"Because, y'know, obviously," Rin rolled his eyes, tail curled in a happy arc behind him.

"Yeah...got any kings?"

"...Son of a fuck, I hate you!"

Rin whined, whole face bright red as he squirmed in his seat. "Boooon, this seat is cold!"

"It's metal, no shit," Ryuji smirked and rolled his eyes, tossing over his own overshirt and Rin's jeans and briefs.

"Thank you," the son of Satan mumbled, shuffling them on.

Ryuji merely hummed, shuffling on his pants and pure white tanktop. (He most certainly did not have any ulterior motives, thank you very much, shut up little voice that sounds suspiciously like Shima.) "Back to work, now, I think."

Rin whined again, nose wrinkling. "But Bo~on, I hafta pee!"

Rolling his eyes -while also blushing bright red- Ryuji gestured to the door. "Why don't you try it again; see if someone unlocked it while you were spouting atrocities at me."

"I was not-!" Rin sputtered, jumping up. He marched over to the metal door, back ramrod straight, and jerked on the knob.

It gave with surprising ease, making Rin jolt in surprise. "I...what?"

"Fabulous," Ryuji nodded satisfactorily, already packing his stuff into his bag. He tucked the deck of cards into Rin's while the boy's back was turned. "I'll see you in my room tomorrow, then," he said, slipping by Rin.

"Eh- ah- what, you will?" Rin stared at him, looking even daintier than usual in Ryuji's clothing.

"Obviously," Ryuji rolled his eyes. "I promised to tutor you, didn't I?"

"Oh yeah!" Rin suddenly grinned like a thousand suns. "Thanks a ton, Bon! You're the best!"

"Usually, yeah," the exwire smirked, "I know. See yah at five, bring something for yourself if you get hungry."

"Yeah!" Rin threw a fist into the air. "I'll bring something for you, too!"

~/\~

"Hello!"

"Hey...?" Shima blinked at the ebony-haired teenager standing in the door. "No offense, but...why the fuck are you here?"

Rin blinked at him.

Ryuji smacked the pinkette on the back of the head. "I told you this morning, dumbass, remember?"

Shima blinked at him a few times. "Oh, you mean your study-date-thing?"

Immediately turning bright red, Ryuji unceremoniously punched Shima in the back of the head. "Don't call it that, you useless fuck!" He growled, not looking at either of them.

Rin grinned sheepishly, holding his backpack close to his chest.

"Ow, Bon!" Shima whined, rubbing the back of his head. "What was that for, you stupid son of a fuck?"

Ryuji growled at him, crossing his arms.

Rin giggled.

"Ugh, fine, fine, I'll leave you two fruits alone," Shima groaned, stepping back from the door to allow Rin entrance. "Have at, Okumura," he gestured behind him, whether to Ryuji or the room Rin couldn't tell.

"Why a fruit?" Rin asked, slipping off his plain black shoes and following Ryuji over to the boy's desk.

"Fuck if I understand what goes on in that head of his," Ryuji scoffed, waving a hand. "Fuck if I want to understand what goes on in that head of his."

Grinning, Rin clasped his hands behind his back, bag held in his hands.

"Yeah...anyway," Ryuji shook his head, settling down in one of the chairs pulled up to his desk. "Have a seat, Okumura. You got your textbooks that you're having issues with?"

"Uh-huh!" Rin plopped into the other chair -it looked tons more comfortable than the one Ryuji was using, so he wondered why he got it instead of the other. He dug through the bulging black bag, setting a canvas tote from the top off to the side, and pulled out three textbooks.

"...Algebra II, Chemistry, and English?" Ryuji hummed, laying the books flat out.

Rin nodded, tongue poking out of the corner of his mouth as he pulled his bangs back in the clip Ryuji had given him ages ago.

The exwire smiled, clipping his own hair back, and scooted both the mathematics and science books off to the side. "Let's start with English, why don't we?"

"Okay," Rin wriggled a little, dislodging his tail from it's position curled around his leg inside his pants. "That's good, because I think I have, like, the worst English grade in this entire fucking school, y'know?"

Ryuji arched an eyebrow, flipping open the well-worn cover. 'Okumura Rin' was scrawled scratchily in the top corner, belaying that this once had been a brand new book. "Did you get this new?" he asked, rubbing his thumb over what looked to be a bloodstain on the edge.

"Oh, uh, yeah..." Rin admitted shyly, squirming a little bit more,flushing pink.

"Well, either you beat something to death with it, or your bad grade isn't for lack of trying," Ryuji nodded a little, already knowing the answer.

(Both were probably at least little true, if he knew Rin. Damn fool doesn't know how to quit.)

"Uh..." Rin bit his lip, one fang peeking out cutely. "Well, I do try, you know! But for those of us who are not gifted with exceptional intelligence such as yourself, we have to study! And being an exorcist does not offer much by way of study hours!"

Ryuji snickered a little, attempting to hide it by jamming a fist against his mouth.

"What?" Rin puffed out his cheeks, looking like a pouty child.

"Oh, no, no-nothing," Ryuji waved a hand, grinning madly behind his fist. "Oh, lord, fuck, you're too cute..." He shook his head, attempting to look serious. "Okay, first of all-"

His serious image was broken by the bright twinkle in his eyes.

"I am not 'gifted' with 'exceptional' anything," he tapped Rin's nose. "I had to work hard to get to where I am now, thank you very much. Long hours of studying, very little sleep, and lots of exercise put me here."

Rin looked down at his lap, twiddling his thumbs together. "Oh...maybe I am just dumb...I try to study and stuff, but I can never seem to get it right."

"Then you probably just need to try a different way," Ryuji resisted the urge to ruffle the suddenly eager-looking Rin's hair by patting his shoulder. "I'll help you figure out what works best for you, in the long run."

"Yeah?" Rin smiled at him, tail curling happily. "Dude, Bon, you're so fucking awesome!"

The elder teen smirked, shrugging. "Sometimes..."

Ryuji was puzzled. "Okumura...you do know how to spell 'Rin Okumura' in English...right?"

"Of course I do!" Rin looked offended, pushing out his lower lip in a cute pout. "R-I-N space O-K-U-M-U-R-A, duh."

"Okay, it's just it's not...that's not how you have it here," Ryuji set the paper he was editing down, running a fingertip under the name scrawled at the top of the page. He'd seen something like this before, actually...

Rin blushed, realizing that he had, in fact, spelled his own name wrong. "Oh..."

"Have...you ever been tested for dyslexia, Okumura?" Ryuji asked, giving the boy a considering look.

"Dys-what-ia?" Rin blinked at him. "Is that a disease or something?"

"No, not at all," Ryuji shook his head. "Dyslexia is really just a general term for a disorder that makes it hard for one to, ah, read, basically. Interpret certain symbols, or letters."

Rin frowned.

"But it doesn't have anything to do with how smart or dumb you are," Ryuji quickly added, placing a hand on Rin's forearm. "It's just, if you are dyslexic, then it makes learning certain things a lot harder. Like, it probably took a while for you to learn how to read, huh?"

"Um..." Rin scratched the back of his head, looking down at his lap. "I...still have trouble reading, a lot of times, actually..."

"Perfectly understandable," Ryuji nodded, patting Rin's arm. At seeing the boy's crestfallen, embarrassed expression, he said, "hey, chin up, Okumura, okay? I'll help you, don't worry."

"You will? Still?" Rin smiled waveringly at him, twiddling his thumbs in his lap.

"Duh," Ryuji scoffed, shoving Rin's shoulder. "What kind of friend would I be otherwise?"

The son of Satan giggled, clasping his hands into a tight knot and saying, "you're a life saver, Suguro, really, you have no idea!"

"You," Ryuji said, pointing to the teenager with the corner of his book, "should mention to your brother the possibility of you being dyslexic."

Rin gave him an odd look. "Tell Yukio? Oh hell no. He'd laugh at me forever if I told him something might be wrong with me mentally."

Ryuji arched an eyebrow. "Would you care to have me bring it up?"

Sputtering brokenly for a moment, Rin waved one arm off to the side, as he was sometimes prone to do when he could not speak. "You? Tell Yukio? Oh god, please, no!"

"Tell me what?"

Ryuji smirked a little, settling back in his seat, while Rin turned and looked fearfully over his shoulder.

"Oh, um, Yukio...he-hello," Rin waved awkwardly. "When...did you get here...?"

"I'm your teacher, in case you've forgotten," the teenager crossed his arms, arching an eyebrow. "Now, tell me what?"

"Noth-"

Ryuji leaned forward, lifting a curious eyebrow. "Okumura-Sensei, have you ever considered Rin might be dyslexic?"

The young teacher paused, while Rin could be heard muttering obscenities and curses under his breath.

"I do recall Father wanting to get some tests done to find out for sure," he said, pursing his lips. "He had always suspected something, I think, because of Rin's difficulties in certain subjects, but he had never been positive... And then, well, things happened, and it completely slipped my mind. Thank you for reminding me, Suguro-Kun. I'll make an appointment with the school psychologist soon."

"I think that that is a very good idea," Ryuji nodded, smiling in utter satisfaction. "Thank you, Okumura-Sensei."

The pharmaceutical teacher nodded and turned away, leaving the two boys to mutter amongst themselves -which was mainly Rin mumbling at Ryuji how he should mind his own damn business.

"It is my business," Ryuji told him, flipping his book open.

"What? Why? Since when?" Rin scowled at him, crossing his arms.

"Since you asked me to be your tutor," Ryuji said, hooking his foot on the leg of Rin's chair and pulling it closer.

Rin squeaked in surprise, then blushed bright red.

~/\~

"So...?" Ryuji arched an eyebrow at the boy flopped in the chair next to him.

"Yup," Rin muttered into the table, face hidden in his arms. "Apparently I'm severely dyslexic and ADD or whatever...s'all dumb, if you ask me."

"Okumura, dyslexia is nothing to be ashamed of," Ryuji said, patting the boy's back. "Dyslexia isn't even that bad in so much as mental disorders go. I mean, I myself have dyslexia too, actually."

Rin turned his head to peer at the other. "What?"

Ryuji nodded, smiling wanly. "Me too, Okumura. It's not that bad, but when an entire paragraph is completely mixed up, it is a bit difficult."

"Yeah?" Rin sat up a little, peering at the other. "That's how come you know so much about it, huh."

"Yup," Ryuji nodded, drawing his arms back to himself. "Yours seems a little worse than mine, but we can still work through it."

Rin ventured a grin, and Ryuji grinned back.

"I promise."

"You have a lot of patience with my brother, Suguro-Kun," Yukio remarked, almost with a smile in his voice.

"Well, I remember what he's going through," Ryuji shrugged, almost smiling in return. "I have some empathy for the fucker. Erm," he coughed awkwardly, blushing warmly.

Yukio snickered, smirking. "Yeah...? Thank you, in any case, Suguro-Kun. In thanks, I'll do what my brother seems to be too cowardly to do, and invite you over to our building for dinner tomorrow night."

"Oh?" Ryuji's eyebrows flew up, and he automatically searched for the slight teen in the class. "That sounds rather pleasant. Thank you."

Yukio smiled and nodded, "will six do? I'm sure Rin will appreciate someone else to admire his skill in the kitchen."

Ryuji chuckled, "if those cookies he made the other day were anything to go by, I'm sure he is fantastic."

"But really, Yukio, I have a right to know," Rin said, slicing an onion with deft movements of his wrist. "Seriously -who the fuck is this mystery guest you're so happy about? Is it Shiemi or something? I mean, I know you're finally going out and all, but I thought she was at her mother's?"

"It's not Shiemi," Yukio smirked, marking a paper in red ink. "You'll like them much more than Shiemi...considering you've been all-but pining over them for the last, oh, year or so."

Rin immediately flamed pink, spinning to point the knife at his younger brother. "Excuse you very much, I do not pine! And furthermore, I have absolutely no clue who you could be talking about!" He spun back around, setting into the poor vegetable with a vengeance. "Because I don't fucking pine. Pine, pine, you were the one who was pining...damn four-eyes, hope you drown in a ditch..."

Yukio merely laughed, amused. "Suuure..."

"Hello?" Ryuji questioned cautiously, peering around the archway into the dining room. It looked to be one of the few rooms in the building still in usable condition.

Yukio smiled at him, beckoning him into the room. "Come on, Suguro-Kun. Rin is the only one that bites."

"I heard that, cocksucker," Rin yelled from the kitchen, face appearing briefly in the gap of tue serving counter. "Hey Bon! Dinner will be ready in just a minute, okay?"

"...Okay?" He shrugged, settling into a seat at the same table as Yukio.

"Sorry that it's not very homely," Yukio apologized, crossing his feet at the ankles and swinging them back and forth. "But it's all we've got here."

Ryuji shook his head, waving a hand. "It's...it reminds me of a restaurant, almost."

Yukio grinned, "you should wait until Rin comes out with the food. Then you'll really wonder if you're not in a restaurant."

"Oh?" Ryuji's eyebrows rose.

Just then, the teen himself came prancing out from the kitchen, head held proudly high. "A light vegetable soup, to begin with," he said, setting down two plates before settling beside Yukio -and directly across from Ryuji- with his own.

"Where'd Yukio go?" Rin asked, pursing his lips. "He was looking forward to the cake."

"Emergency call, he said," Ryuji said, nervously fiddling with his dessert fork without looking up. "Should be back around one, two- oh fuck, what is that?" he asked incredulously, staring in shock at the prettily decorated round cake in Rin's hands.

"Um, apple coffee cake," Rin admitted, setting the dessert on the table between them. "It's got Granny Smiths, cinnamon, sugar, a nice homemade glaze, maraschino cherries...and maybe a dash of apple moonshine," Rin shrugged, picking up a fork and jamming it into the side of the cake. "I haven't tried this recipe yet, so," he pulled out a chunk -soft and gooey, just perfect- and shoved it in his mouth.

Ryuji arched a eyebrow. "You're not going to at least cut it?"

"Nah," Rin shrugged, swallowing and immediately going in for another. "Ah, this is fucking amazing! Bon, c'mon, you gotta have a bite!"

Ryuji arched an eyebrow, biting his lip.

"I will make you eat some," Rin threatened, holding out the fork.

Snickering, Ryuji shook his head and picked up the fork, scooping out a healthy portion. Taking a bite, it took all his effort not to moan in bliss, eyes rolling back in his head.

"Good?" Rin smiled nervously, twirling the fork.

Ryuji nodded quickly, swallowing and reaching for another bite. "Delicious," he said, smiling. "You are really good at this sort of thing, arent you?"

"What made you want to start cooking?" Ryuji asked, setting down the fork on his paper napkin, pleasantly full.

"Oh, well, I..." Rin shrugged, twirling the fork. "At the church, no one really cooked much, so we made a lot of easy things...and I guess I just wanted to see what else I could do with food." He chuckled sheepishly then, scratching the back of his head shyly.

Ryuji chuckled, stretching languidly. "It was very good, Okumura. I liked it a lot."

The teen blushed a warm pink, biting his lip to prevent his smile from going too wide. "Thanks..."

~/\~

"You fucking dumbass!" Ryuji exclaimed, whacking Rin on the back of the head. "For fuck's sake, moron, we're your team, remember? Stop with the fucking 'hero' act!"

Rin snarled, sheathing his sword with an angry snap of his wrist. "Well what the fuck else was I supposed to do? Just sit there and let Shima get sacrificed like some virginal lamb?"

"We had a plan!" Ryuji threw his hands in the air in utter frustration. "I know its hard for you to remember some things sometimes, but Christ! Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Rin's retort died on his lips, ire falling flat. "You...were worried? About me? Why?"

"Why the fuck do you think, moron," Ryuji sighed and shook his head, sinking down onto a nearby concrete bench. "Even as stupid as you are, I still think you're my friend. No matter how much you frustrate me."

"...Friend," Rin plopped down beside Ryuji, looking utterly thunderstruck. "Wow. Your friend."

"Yes," Ryuji said flatly, rolling his eyes. "What, you think I'm too much of an asshole to have friends?"

"Uh, no, but sometimes I wonder how Koneko and Shima can put up with you," Rin grinned mischievously.

Ryuji punched his shoulder.

"Ow! Okay, fuck you too," Rin rolled his eyes, rubbing his arm. "I just sometimes wonder if I've got, like, this cursey-thing of, like, ten-thousand years of hate, because it seems like the only one who can stomach my sheer awesomeness for longer than ten minutes is Shiemi, and she's besties with, fucking, Shura and Kamiki, so that doesn't say much."

Ryuji struggled not to snicker, pressing the side of his fist against his mouth. "Sheer awesomeness?" he guffawed, face turning red from his effort not to laugh.

"Yes," Rin sniffed, looking imperious. "I am sheer awesomeness, personified."

Ryuji curled forward, he was laughing so hard, banging a fist against his knee.

Rin merely sat there in silence, arms crossed, face going more and more red as the seconds ticked away.

Finally, he punched Ryuji on the back of the head, making him snort and cough.

"Ah-?" Ryuji patted his chest, still smirking.

Rin gave him an unamused sort of look, cheeks hot. "If we are done?"

"For...for now," Ryuji grinned, settling back again, arms crossed over his broad chest. "Ah...what was the question again?"

"Ten-thousand years of hate curse," Rin said flatly, arms also crossed.

"Ah! Yes. No," Ryuji shook his head. "I don't think so. I think, actually, its just that you have a tendency to come on...strong, shall we say. You want to know everyone,you want to be friends with everyone."

The child of Satan pursed his lips consideringly, nodding slightly. "I think its because I didn't have very many friends growing up. Just Yukio, and he...well, he's my baby twin brother, he's practically required to like me."

Ryuji snickered. "I'm sure-"

"Oi, Bon, just kiss him already!"

Rin blinked, watching curiously as Ryuji's face went through several color changes in a short space of time. Wow, he thought. I didn't know a person could go that red.

"Fuck you, Shima!" Ryuji yelled, jerking to his feet.

Rin frowned, "hey, where are you going? We were talking, thank you very much."

"I...was just going to go kill the bastard who calls himself my friend?" Ryuji pointed after the fleeing pink-haired exwire.

"Nope," Rin shook his head, arms crossed. "Sit."

Ryuji sank back down, twiddling his thumbs in his lap. "Uh, look, just...ignore what the moron said? He, um...he, um..."

Rin laughed, gripped the front of Ryuji's shirt, and dragged him over. "Shut up, Suguro, you think too hard."

"I do?" Ryuji squeaked, eyes wide.

"Duh," Rin rolled his eyes, swinging his leg over and settling into Ryuji's lap. "Now," he said, leaning forward, blue eyes bright. "Care to give them a show...Ryuji?"

"Ah- sure," Ryuji smiled wickedly, tongue emerging from his mouth just long enough for Rin to catch sight of the gleaming silver barbel. "Rin."

The boy with ebony hair purred, leaning forward and pressing his lips to Ryuji's. He wasn't very practiced at the whole 'kissing' thing, but he figured he could learn. (He hoped he could learn.)

Ryuji swiped his talented tongue over Rin's bottom lip, asking for entrance which he was swiftly granted. His hands slid to the slighter boy's hips, fingertips just barely brushing the soft skin of Rin's lower back.

Humming appreciatively, Rin tried to give as good as he got, but with how thoroughly Ryuji was invading his mouth, filling him with an odd, tingly sort of heat, it was all he could do to keep up.

Ryuji's hands slid together, just barely petting the base of Rin's tail.

Almost melting in pleasure, Rin sank against Ryuji, sharp nails digging into broad shoulders.

Hissing in pleasurable pain, Ryuji drew away, rubbing up Rin's back.

Rin gave a dazed murmur, laying his head on Ryuji's chest. "I don't want to think about who you've kissed to get that good..." he muttered, drawing little circles around the rooster-haired boy's top button on his shirt.

"You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you it was mostly Shima, huh," Ryuji murmured, tracing a light line back and forth just above Rin's tail.

"Shima's straight," Rin retorted.

"We had a bit of an experimental phase?" Ryuji shrugged.

Rin scoffed, "you're sixteen- and furthermore, his hair is pink. Shouldn't you still be in your 'experimental' stage?"

"Mm," Ryuji tilted his head consideringly. "Not really. More like a...rebellious stage, I guess."

"Oh?" Rin leaned up, making as if to whisper directly into Ryuji's ear. Instead, he nibbled on the spot just below. He caught an earring in his teeth and tugged just a little, making the older boy whine.

"Shit, Rin," Ryuji mumbled, pulling away from him. "If you don't stop...well, I won't be able to stop."

"Who says I want you to?" Rin smirked, nosing the underside of Ryuji's chin, fingers dipping below the collar of his white shirt.

"Rin..." Ryuji groaned.

"C'mon, Ryuji," Rin clasped his hands on either side of the mostly-brunette boy's face, blue eyes wide and sparkling. "Teach me all your sensitive spots?"

"Fuck, who is this sex fiend and what have you done with pure sweet Rin?" Ryuji moaned, smiling despite himself.

"I fell in love," he shrugged innocently.

"O-oh?" That made Ryuji pause for a second. "Good," he decided, "because I did too... And I'd rather learn all your sensitive spots than teach you mine, in any case."

Almost effortlessly, Ryuji picked Rin up and tossed him over his shoulder. Ignoring the tail flicking in his face -though he did consider catching it between his teeth- he called, "See you guys later! Rin and I have something we need to work on!"

"Buh-bye!" Rin waved, smiling eagerly.

Yukio stared after them. "Did...did Suguro-Kun just call my brother by his given name?" he asked incredulously.

"Um, duh?" Shura scoffed, palms flat against the table. "Did you just totally miss the almost-porno your brother and Suguro put on not ten yards away?"

Yukio gaped at her.

"...I take that as a yes," she sighed, shaking her head.

"Well fuck," Yukio scoffed, quickly recovering. "Only took him a year to buck up, for crying out loud. Ugh," he shook his head.

"They're going to be so weird, I can just feel it," Shura shook her head. "Ugh..."

"But, well, better late than never," Konekomaru said with a chuckle, picking at the bandage wrapped around his hand idly. "They're probably going to be sweet enough to induce cavities."

Yukio shuddered. "The idea of Suguro-Kun being lovey-dovey..."

Shura twitched. "Blegh."

"It'll be like a kitten," Shima said, settling down on top of the rock and concrete wall beside Konekomaru. "Er, a couple of kittens. They'll be unbelievably awkward at first, but get the hang of it pretty quickly. They may both be dyslexic, but Bon's a pretty fast learner, and his patience is pretty much limitless. Especially concerning his little demon kitty~!"

"...I'm going to try and forget that you ever called my brother a demon kitty," Yukio decided, shaking his head. "But I'll bet you are right..."

Shima smirked; of course he was right. He was good at these sorts of things.