By samuraiheart
Warning: This fic contains shounen-ai. That means two guys are going to have a relationship beyond friendship. Please leave now if this offends you.
Classes were over for the day and Shinobu was walking
slowly down the path behind the dorm. He didn't
feel like going to his room yet and he knew that
Mitsuru had things to do this afternoon so he was
looking
for a way to relax. As he wandered down the path, he
let his mind wander and couldn't help, but think of
his room mate. He stopped when he heard Shun's voice.
He was talking to Hasakawa under some nearby
trees. Shinobu slipped behind one of the trees and
listened carefully. He didn't want to interrupt their
conversation and it sounded rather interesting.
"Come on, you must have noticed it." Shun said.
"Noticed what?" Hasakawa wished he would just get to
the point.
"The way they look at each other. The way they act
around each other. It's so obvious!"
This was interesting. Shinobu wondered who they were
talking about and why they were being so
secretive.
Hasakawa shook his head. "Just get to the point. What
are you trying to say?"
"If you knew that Shinobu liked someone or that
Mitsuru liked someone, but that person didn't know or
was afraid of rejection, wouldn't you want to help?"
"Of course I would. It would be just like when Mitsuru
helped me and Mia."
"Exactly. Now what if you found out that two of your
friends liked each other. Wouldn't you try to set
them up?"
Shinobu waited anxiously. He didn't know who they were
talking about, but it was getting a little too close
for comfort.
Hasakawa thought about it for a moment. Two friends
who liked each other. "I guess so. Yes, I would."
Shun smiled and paused for a moment. He loved to toy
with Hasakawa and he had no idea how he was
going to react to this. "So, do you want to help me
set up Mitsuru and Shinobu?"
"Mitsuru and Shinobu . . . hmmm... " It all seemed to
suddenly make sense to Hasakawa and Shun had
been right, it was pretty obvious. "I think that could
work. What's your plan?"
"Well, you see, I thought we could-"
"Hello." Shinobu said quietly as he stepped into their
view. This had gone on far enough and he was
starting to feel guilty about eavesdropping.
Hasakawa and Shun froze and looked at each other with
wide eyes. They looked quickly at Shinobu and
then back at each other before dropping their gazes to
the ground.
"Ummm... we were..." Shun didn't know what to say.
"We were just discussing our homework. Right Shun? A
human cell has forty-nine chromosomes, right?"
Shinobu smirked. Biology obviously wasn't Hasakawa's
strong point. "First of all, it's forty-six and
second, I heard everything."
Shun looked over at Shinobu uncertainly. "You're not
mad are you?"
"We won't really do it." Hasakawa assured him.
"Oh, why not?" Shinobu said flatly. He was trying not
to care one way or the other, but it was more
difficult than he imagined. He did love Mitsuru and
wanted to be with him more than anything, but he
didn't think it could ever work out. If Hasakawa and
Shun had seen something between them, then maybe
there was hope after all, but he didn't want to set
himself up for disappointment.
"Well, it wouldn't work. Now that you know, you'll
just interfere." Hasakawa answered.
"Why should I interfere?" Shinobu smiled
mischievously, but there was something sincere and
honest
about the look in his eyes.
Hasakawa and Shun shrugged and leaned closer to
Shinobu. "Okay, here's the plan. We're going to
convince Mitsuru that you have a secret admirer so
he'll get jealous and react."
"Do you really think he'll care?" A touch of
bitterness seeped through, but Shinobu tried to hide
it.
"Shinobu, of course he will, I know he cares about you
just as much as you care about him." Shun said,
putting a hand on Shinobu's shoulder.
Shinobu felt his cheeks redden and he put his head
down to conceal the blush. His blue-gray bangs fell
over his eyes as he said breathlessly, "I hope you're
right. Good luck." He slipped away quietly and left
Hasakawa and Shun looking at each other in amazement.
They'd never seen Shinobu like that. He seemed
so sincere in the way he felt about Mitsuru. Now the
two friends were determined to make this work.
Later that night, Hasakawa, Shun, Mitsuru and Shinobu
ate dinner together in the cafeteria as usual. As
they sat down, Mitsuru seemed especially excited about
something.
"Hey, you guys, guess what!" Mitsuru said
enthusiastically.
Hasakawa and Shun looked up half-heartedly. They
didn't think Mitsuru would get this excited - at least
not after the first gift. How much longer could this
go on?
"Shinobu has a secret admirer." Mitsuru said. He
smiled happily hoping that no one would realize how he
really felt about the situation. It was nice that
Shinobu had a secret admirer, but it didn't change the
way
he felt about his best friend. No secret admirer could
ever love him in the say way. Mitsuru continued to
overcompensate for the way he was feeling. His eyes
were wide with enthusiasm as he talked about the
gift. "Yeah. They left him a gift outside the room
earlier."
"What was it?" Shun said.
Shinobu opened his mouth to answer, but Mitsuru kept
talking. "It was a cute little pink card and a rose.
The card said 'To Tezuka Shinobu with love, your
secret admirer'."
"Oh, how sweet." Shun smiled brightly. He was trying
not to laugh. This was getting a little weird. Was it
just him or was Mitsuru a little too happy for
Shinobu? Hmmmm.
"Who do you think it could be?" Hasakawa asked.
Again, Shinobu started to say something, but was
interrupted. Shinobu was starting to think that maybe
Mitsuru had had too much sugar at lunch.
"He doesn't know. I don't know. No one knows." Mitsuru
seemed very pleased with himself.
"So what are you going to do about it?" Hasakawa
asked.
Shinobu looked over at Mitsuru and waited for a
response, but he was quiet this time. "I don't know. I
haven't really thought about it much."
The next day, Shun came over to talk to Shinobu about
the situation.
He knocked at the door and waited patiently as Shinobu
opened it and invited him in.
"Hi, Shinobu. Are you busy?"
"No, not really." he said as he put his favorite manga
back on the shelf. "Do you need something?"
"I wanted to talk to you about the plan." Shun's eyes
sparkled in anticipation. "Is it having any effect
yet?"
"Well, he keeps talking about it, but as far as I can
tell nothing's changed." Shinobu looked down at the
floor. He wondered what he was getting himself into.
He sat down on the bed and Shun followed.
Shun looked over at Shinobu sincerely. He had never
completely understood him, but he had always
admired his ability to stay calm and composed in the
face of anything. Now, however, he was seeing
Shinobu a little differently. He was still calm, but
something about the look on his face betrayed a hint
of
uneasiness - as if there was something important
desperately hanging in the balance. Shun finally
understood how much all of this meant to Shinobu and
felt a little guilty about playing this game. What if
it doesn't work? What if we're wrong? Are we just
getting Shinobu's hopes up unnecessarily? Shun
couldn't even imagine what Shinobu would look like
crying, but it was something he didn't want to see.
"Shinobu, can I ask you a question?"
Shinobu blinked and looked at Shun. "Go ahead."
"You've known Mitsuru for quite a while. Why haven't
you ever said anything to him?"
Shinobu looked down at his hands. He had asked himself
this question many times before, but he had
never been able to come up with an answer that
satisfied him completely. "I'm not sure exactly. It's
just
that... I don't know. I guess I've always been afraid
of losing a good friend. What if he... what if he
doesn't
feel the same way?"
Shinobu shifted a little on the bed and clasped his
hands together nervously. He had never told anyone
this
before and he wasn't really sure why he was doing it
now. Somehow the prospect of Mitsuru actually
caring for him as more than a friend was having an
effect on him. He had never prepared for the
possibility and now he wasn't sure what to do. A part
of him was still horribly afraid of rejection, but a
glimmer of hope was beginning to shine through.
Shun put a hand on Shinobu's shoulder. "Don't worry,
Shinobu. We'll do everything we can."
Shinobu smiled a little as Shun left and he closed the
door behind him. A few moments later, he heard the
rustling of paper as Shun put out the next gift.
When Mitsuru came back from practice he proudly opened
the door and showed Shinobu the next present.
It was a large heart-shaped card that said "I love
you, Shinobu". He waved it in front of his face and
handed it to Shinobu. Shinobu sighed and read the
card. He couldn't help but smile a little at the fact
that
Mitsuru was handing him a love note. He nodded as
Mitsuru continued talking about how lucky he was to
have a secret admirer. He was starting to wonder how
Mitsuru really felt about the situation. Maybe this
was all an act. Maybe he really did care. What other
explanation could there be for this much enthusiasm?
Shinobu smiled a little and hoped he was right.
Later that night, Mitsuru was helping Hasakawa study
for a biology test in his room. Mitsuru was trying
to pay attention to the assignment, but his mind kept
wandering off to think about Shinobu. The secret
admirer was beginning to bother him more than he cared
to admit.
"So, how do you know when to use the formula?"
Hasakawa looked up at Mitsuru puzzled. This wasn't
making sense and Mitsuru wasn't being much help. He
seemed kind of lost tonight. He kept staring off
into space or down at the table and he seemed kind of
sad. This was certainly a stark contrast to the way
he acted when he talked about Shinobu's secret
admirer. Hasakawa wondered which attitude to believe.
"Mitsuru! How do you know when to use the formula?"
Mitsuru looked up suddenly. "Oh, I'm sorry... you have
to look at the chart on page twenty-one."
Mitsuru put his elbow on the table and rested his chin
on his hand. He really was trying to pay attention,
but he was finding it difficult to concentrate this
evening.
"Mitsuru, is something wrong?" Hasakawa asked
sincerely.
"Hmm? Oh. No, nothing's wrong." Mitsuru shook his head
and leaned closer to Hasakawa's paper. "No.
That's not the answer to number fourteen. Why don't
you try it again."
Hasakawa looked over at him curiously. Maybe the plan
was working. Maybe all that over-enthusiasm
was just an act. Hasakawa looked down at his paper and
pretended to concentrate on the answer as a smile
briefly graced his lips. Now this was getting
interesting.
The next afternoon, Mitsuru was trying to study for a
test at his desk and Shinobu was sitting on his bed.
"You know it would help if you actually read the
book." Shinobu said.
Mitsuru looked up from his desk to glare at Shinobu.
"I am reading the book."
"No. You've been on that same page for at least
fifteen minutes now. I know you don't read that
slowly.
What's on your mind?"
Mitsuru turned the page and tried to ignore his room
mate. He wasn't in the mood to talk. He had a math
test the next day and he had barely gotten any sleep
the night before. For some reason he couldn't stop
thinking about Shinobu's secret admirer. It was
probably some clueless little girl who didn't know
anything about Shinobu. Shinobu deserved better than
that. He needs someone who understands him and
cares about him. Mitsuru closed his eyes and tried to
convince himself that this was pointless. It didn't
matter how he felt about Shinobu. It could never
happen and he could never tell him.
"Now I know you can't study with your eyes closed."
Shinobu said standing next to Mitsuru.
Mitsuru opened his eyes wide and then glared at
Shinobu again. He hadn't even heard his room mate
come over to his desk. He closed the book and looked
over at his friend. Maybe it would be easier if I just
told him now. At least it would be over with and I
would know for sure one way or the other. Mitsuru took
a deep breath and shook his head. Why did it have to
be so difficult?
Just before Mitsuru could say anything, the two room
mates heard a rustling noise and the sound of voices
outside their door. Shinobu winced. If that was
Hasakawa and Shun, they certainly weren't doing a very
good job of being quiet. Mitsuru stood and walked over
to the door. He was surprised to see Hasakawa and
Shun standing there looking guilty and another present
waiting by the door. This time it was a teddy bear
and a heart-shaped balloon. Mitsuru's heart sank as he
saw the gift. He couldn't tell him now. he could
never tell Shinobu how he felt. He didn't even bother
to try to figure out why his two friends just happened
to show up right after the gift or wonder if they had
anything to do with it. He was too busy trying to hold
back the tears that were starting to blur his vision.
He took a few deep breaths and hoped that no one
noticed. He really wasn't in the mood to explain.
"Ummm... we... ummm...." Hasakawa stared at Shinobu
and Mitsuru with wide eyes. He was sure that
Mitsuru would figure it out, but it didn't seem like
he had. He looked distracted and a little sad.
"We came to get you for dinner and look Shinobu you
got another gift!" Shun bent down to pick up the
present and handed it to Shinobu.
Mitsuru shrugged and left the room to head for the
cafeteria. Shun and Hasakawa looked over at Shinobu
uncertainly. Had something happened? Shinobu only
shrugged and put the teddy bear on his desk before
they followed Mitsuru to dinner.
A day went by and nothing really seemed to change.
Mitsuru didn't say much and Shinobu was starting to
worry about his room mate. As he came back from band
practice, Shinobu could tell things hadn't
changed.
"How did you do on the math test?" Shinobu said
cheerfully hoping to start a conversation.
"Fine. I guess." Mitsuru lowered his gaze and stared
at the floor. He wasn't sure he could look at Shinobu
right now.
"Is something wrong?" Shinobu said sincerely.
"No." Mitsuru said quietly, but it was obvious from
the way he was acting that it wasn't true.
"Does it have anything to do with the secret admirer?"
Mitsuru looked up suddenly. "I'm not jealous if that's
what you're implying. I don't want a secret admirer."
Shinobu started to say something, but Mitsuru
continued. "Have you ever thought about how she feels?
You're so cold and indifferent about it, but she's
trying to get through to you."
By this time, both of them were standing in the center
of the room. Shinobu was trying not to smile as he
saw the plan beginning to fall into place. Maybe this
could work after all. Mitsuru wasn't giving up. He
had to get his point across.
"You don't even care, do you? You don't care if
someone is in love with you, if your all they can think
about and all they want to do is tell you the truth."
Mitsuru paused for a moment and silence filled the
room before he completed his though. "but they're
afraid that you'll hate them."
Mitsuru looked up at Shinobu dejectedly. He had
nothing left to say. he was sure he had said too much
already. He started to apologize, but before any words
could escape his lips Shinobu leaned forward and
kissed him lightly. Then he brought his arms up and
held Mitsuru close to him. He kissed him again, more
passionately and brushed Mitsuru's bangs away from his
face. He looked into those violet eyes and they
said more than words ever could. Mitsuru was stunned
at first. He had no idea that this was even possible.
He had dreamed about it several times, but he always
dismissed it as pointless and not likely to ever
happen in real life. Shinobu was his room mate and a
good friend, but he never imagined that he could be
more. Slowly, Mitsuru wrapped his arms around
Shinobu's waist and kissed him back. It felt so right
- as
if it had always been like this and it always would
be. Mitsuru closed his eyes. He didn't want this to
ever
end. Shinobu took his hand and hoped that it never
would.