A/N: So here it is. My second cooperation with AdaraLove. This story is in a style different from my usual work, because we are writing this like a role playing game with AdaraLove writing for Spanner and me for Shoichi. For those of you out there, it might take you some time to get used to the structure. We've learned from our first story that it's easier to follow the changes in point of view if the sections are clearly separated by bars, and that's why there are so many of them ;D

Like I said, this is the second work AdaraLove and I have done for the KHR-universe. Our first is an 8059 that's uploaded under her account by the name of 'Diffusing the Bomb'. If you like the pairing, please check it out! She also has three more 8059 stories, one of which is ongoing, so you really should have a look at it if you like the two. They are just amazing, but enough self-advertising ;D

Now, this here is a whole novel we have in store for you. Our main heroes are Irie Shoichi and Spanner. Those two definitely don't get enough love from the fan base, so we'd thought we help them out a bit ;D For those who rather like to see Shoichi with Byakuran, you will get to read a bit of that, too ;D Also this story is rated M for a reason, although that reason won't show up in quite a while, so please hang in there!

We want to update one chapter every Friday if there are people who want to read this. To let us know that you are out there, we need at least one review! ^_^

And now, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: We don't own KHR or any of the characters. They belong to Amano Akira. We just borrowed them for a little while.

Warnings: This is a Yaoi fan-fiction, meaning Man on Man action! Don't like it? Please don't read! The mature content will follow in later chapters, but there is something going on in this chapter that I guess would have to be rated T already ;D

It was the start of another beautiful year at Japan's most prestigious robotics/technology university, and cars were hustling and bustling through the streets of the city and campus, moving in their up and coming engineers and programmers in the early hours of the morning. It was true that classes wouldn't officially start until Monday, but the weekend was the perfect time for moving in students.

Despite the constant traffic in and out of the campus, though, it was a relatively peaceful morning…up until a rustic-looking car pulling a small trailer behind it screeched around the corner of a nearby street, and crossed two lanes of upcoming traffic to get a perfect spot to unhull its load in the nearest parking lot. The screeching of multiple tires, and curses of many tongues, filled the morning air as the rusting, yet functional, car backed up its trailer and parked in front of the entryway to an apartment-dorm complex connected to the parking lot. If the driver heard any of these noises, he showed no sign of it as he turned off his car and laughed.

"Hehehe, good thing I installed that vocal radar and motion sensing system in this old banger, or else we would have been in a bit of a pickle, Ulysses!" An old man of 68 years laughed with a crooked, yet excited smile as he adjusted his small, black, spherical sunglasses.

Ulysses, a.k.a. Spanner, a young man of 19 just stared at his grandfather in affixed horror from the passenger seat; his left hand clenching his seat cushion while his right hand had an iron grip on the handlebar above the front passenger window. In all truth, Spanner knew that letting his grandfather drive at his age, since he was half-blind, hard of hearing, and his memory was becoming fuzzy about certain details (like the rules of the road!), was a bad idea, but the man was as stubborn as a mule most of the time. There had been no other way around the situation, though, since his grandfather was his only living guardian and relative. Both Spanner and his grandfather were born and raised in Britain, but the old man had moved to Italy in his late 40's, because of a prospective job offer. Spanner had lived in Britain until the age of five, when his parents were killed in a car accident. Having no other relatives willing to take him in, his grandfather took him under his wing. The old man loved his grandson dearly, and was rather lonely, since his wife had passed away from cancer before Spanner was born. So, for most of his childhood then, Spanner had grown up in Italy; he and his grandfather sticking to their British customs, despite their foreign surroundings.

The blonde-haired teen and his Grandfather seemed to share the same genetic code as well, because they were practically twins with one looking way older than the other. Spanner's grandfather shared his same build, and his same facial features, but his hair was snow white with a balding patch on the top, and his hair whorl was combed the opposite way of Spanner's. Their personalities were quite different, though, with Spanner's grandfather being more lively and full of spunk.

Besides their looks, the two also shared the same love for mechanics, tools, inventions, and, strangely enough, Japanese culture. His grandfather had visited Japan in his youth and had been interested in the culture and customs ever since. The old man shared his love for the country with his grandson, and would often read books to him on the subject matter after evening tea. The two of them longed to move there, so when a technician job was offered over in the country, there were no second thoughts on the both of them moving. Spanner had been 14 then when he had moved to a town that neighbored Namimori, and that's how he had met up with the Tenth Vongola, and his best friend, Irie Shoichi. There was quite a past between them concerning Shoichi, and his future boss of the Vongola, because they held memories concerning a future that no longer existed, and also new memories on top of that.

"I told you Gramps, I legally changed my name to Spanner two years ago," Spanner spoke with a deadpanned tone after he was able to calm down and find his voice from his near death experience. He had never liked the name Ulysses, and thought Spanner fit him so much better, considering his heritage and his love for tinkering. Not to mention, Ulysses was practically impossible for any Japanese resident to pronounce.

Spanner sent a serious look his grandfather's way then, trying to drive home the fact that his name was different now. In reality, he had been telling his grandfather this bit of information for the past two years, because it seemed he couldn't remember it no matter how often the young mechanic told him.

"Spanner, huh?" The old man muttered, seeming to consider the name seriously for a second behind his bespectacled gaze as he tilted his head to the side. "It suits you."

There was a short pause as Spanner sighed at the familiar conversation, and as his grandfather unbuckled his seat belt.

"Well, come on, Ulysses, those boxes won't haul themselves, you know?!" And with that, the old man climbed out of the car and shut the door behind him, heading towards the trailer.

Spanner sighed to himself again as he unbuckled his own seat belt and got out of the car. He loved his grandpa, he truly did, but that didn't stop the man from being mentally trying at times.

"Remember to only haul the boxes on the left side of the trailer, Gramps. I packed them lighter for you," Spanner spoke up lighter in tone as he made his way to the door of the trailer.

"I know, I know!" The old man called back in slight irritation as he made a grunt of effort. "Bloody hell, what did you put in this box, Ulysses? It's on the left side, but it's heavier than an overweight elephant. Are you trying to break your poor grandpa's back?!"

Spanner just sighed at that as he entered the trailer, "You're other left, Gramps."

The older version of Spanner just blinked up at his grandson from his hunched over position on the right side of the trailer before he stood up and laughed. "Whoops, I guess I botched up my sense of direction again, hehehe!"

Spanner just sighed again as he watched his grandfather easily pick up a box on the left side of the trailer and carry it towards the apartment complex. Taking a cherry sucker of his own making from the pocket of his worn jeans, Spanner unwrapped the delicious treat and stuck it in his mouth.

This was going to be a long morning.

"Finally I get to see him!" The young woman was grinning and winking.

"Aaaah, so that's why you offered to help me, Nee-san!" Anxiety made Irie Shoichi's stomach pinch and sting. "I should have known you had ulterior motives!"

Twenty year old Shoichi just couldn't wait to get away from his meddling, nosy, elder sister. He had no idea how she had done it. Yes, he had told his mother a bit about his school year, and yes, he had mentioned Spanner, but he had only praised his roommate for winning the annual robotics competition as the only first year student to ever do so. That was normal, wasn't it? But somehow, his damned nosy, intuitive sister had guessed his true feelings for his roommate from those words alone (and maybe one or two more he had mentioned about the blonde mechanic). His roommate was a mechanics genius, after all. How could he not mention that? On top of that, Spanner was an ace programmer, too; although not quite as good as himself. Also, the other was an inventor at heart; a character trait they both shared. The fact that Spanner was good looking, too, and that Shoichi was just fascinated by his blonde hair and blue eyes, didn't really help matters either.

It was the memories they shared, memories of a future they helped to prevent, that had made his stomach flutter the first time they had met in this time line. He could remember the immense relief he had felt when their mobile base had been hit by Kikyou, and when he checked on Spanner to see that he was still alive. He could still feel that deep urge to protect the other one.

His sister guessing at his feelings, and teasing him about it, was the worst, though. He should have known that was the reason why she had offered to help him move. This had the potential for total disaster. He had never mentioned anything to Spanner about his feelings. In fact, he was pretty sure the mechanic wouldn't much appreciate it. And if he didn't, how awkward would it get to still live in the same apartment?

A whimper left Shoichi's lips as his stomach cramped painfully at this line of thought. He didn't want things to get awkward between them. He wanted to be around Spanner, and most of all, he wanted to work with the other.

For this year's robotics competition, they had decided to pool their expertise and work together. Even though they had started late in the spring this year, their progress had been impressive. The memories of the future made it even easier for them to tune into the other's way of thinking and working, and their teamwork was almost natural; like four hands using one mind.

"I just want to make sure he's a nice guy, that's all, Sho-chan. I'm your older sister; I have a responsibility."

One look at her face told Shoichi that it definitely wasn't responsibility that drove her, but leering curiosity.

"He doesn't know! And I want to keep it that way!" The young computer genius shouted almost desperately. "Don't say anything awkward! Don't...Don't say anything at all! In fact, don't even look at him! Just...Just stop the car here. I'll get my things out and carry them over myself!"

"You're crazy, Sho-chan. We're at the other end of the campus. Don't worry. I won't tell him," she turned her gaze from the road to glance at him sideways with another wink. "You should!"

Shoichi sighed heavily, "I will. I just need...the right moment." Of course, he said it to shut his sister up. If she thought he'd do it, maybe she wouldn't act too weird around Spanner? He had these feelings, but they were one sided, and he knew it. Even in that future, it was the same, and they had known each other so much longer then. No. If Spanner had just a micron of interest in him, he would have acted by now.

So, Shoichi held his feelings under wraps, and just enjoyed the other one's company. At least he could fully enjoy that other side of their friendship. Their teamwork, and what they could achieve together, was fulfilling, too. It nurtured the mind. Who cared about the body, right?

"Don't wait too long. There are others out there that don't wait. He could be gone off the market faster than you think."

Any need to find an answer to that was luckily eliminated by turning the last corner and arriving at the apartment building. There was that old, rusty car that could only belong to one man. A bright smile lit up Shoichi's face. He pushed his glasses up his nose and tried to smooth out his unruly, red hair.

Next to him, his sister giggled. "You're blushing! How cu~ute!"

"I-I'm not," was Shoichi's totally flustered answer as his hands rubbed over his cheeks, like he was trying to clean off the flush he had just denied he was having.

They were lucky enough to get a parking spot just one over from Spanner's. Shoichi struggled out of the car as fast as he could. When he came up to the car and trailer, no one was there. Since the trailer doors were open though, it was safe to assume they were already unloading.

Shoichi turned to his sister. "Okay, I'll introduce you, but for heaven's sake, don't embarrass me and don't make any...insinuations. Promise!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be the perfect, slightly elder sister," she waved her hand dismissively.

Just then, Spanner and his grandfather exited the building.

A very warm feeling flooded Shoichi's stomach the moment he saw the other. He couldn't help but smile. "Hey, Spanner! Long time no see," he greeted the mechanic, trying to at least project some form of coolness. As his gaze took in the older man, another form of warmth flooded him. "Good morning, sir. I hope you are feeling well," Shoichi managed to say in English, with only a slight accent, as he bowed in greeting to the elder.

When Spanner got about half of his boxes hauled to his room (he and Shoichi, thankfully, lived on the ground/first floor), he wasn't sure if he should try to ditch his grandfather or strangle him. Every time they would haul new boxes into the building, his grandfather would make passing comments towards the programming girls that lived down the hall. The young mechanic was blushing the same color as his cherry sucker when his grandfather would make comments on how great he was, and how desperately he was in need of a girlfriend. Spanner even told his grandfather to stop harassing the girls (it didn't help he was ogling them, too), but the old man was just too stubborn…and desperate for great-grandchildren it seemed.

"You should hook up with that Mimi girl. She's a beaut!" Spanner's grandfather encouraged with a perverted, old man smile, and an elbow nudged suggestively into his arm. "Your kids would be super good looking, and smart!"

"She probably has a boyfriend, Gramps," Spanner sighed with irritation. He wasn't interested in having a girlfriend at the moment, and he probably didn't have time for one. When he tended to get focused on projects, he paid little attention to anything else as he poured all of his heart and soul into his creations.

"That shouldn't stop you!" The older man shouted earnestly. "You'll just have to show the bloke up! You're ten times better than he'd ever be, anyway."

Spanner could feel his eyebrow twitch as he placed the box he was holding down in his apartment bedroom. It was a small room, with only enough space for a twin sized bed, a computer desk, a dresser, and a small closet, but the young British teen had chosen this room (even though it was the same size and shape as Shoichi's) because his room was directly across the hall from their apartment's kitchenette. When he'd be working late into the night with his projects, he'd often forget to eat, so sneaking out to get some food was relatively easy (Shoichi always nagged him if he noticed he wasn't eating, or practicing healthy food habits).

"As touching as it is to know you have so much faith in my capabilities, Gramps," Spanner muttered in a droll tone, "you really sound like an arse."

"Hehehe, well, now that you mention it, that Mimi girl had a nice arse as well!" The old inventor joked suggestively as he laughed loud and hard.

Spanner just groaned as he walked out of his room and into the main area, trying to get away from his mental grandfather. The apartment dorm was rather small as well, but comfortable for two people. Spanner's room was in the far right corner, with the kitchenette being in the far left. The living room took up the rest of the space, with Shoichi's room being in the left corner of the room beside the entryway, and the small bathroom (which contained a toilet, small sink, and a one stall shower) was in the right corner nearest the front door.

Although Spanner tried his hardest to leave his guardian in the dust, the young mechanic's grandfather was still able on his feet, and caught up with his irritated and embarrassed grandson with no problem. After the old man waved at the programming girls as the two of them made their way down the hall and out of the apartment complex, Spanner had to suppress another groan. This morning was just too mentally taxing.

Feeling depressed, and just wanting the moving process to end already to make his mad-hatter of a grandfather leave, the two British mechanics made their way outside, only to see two siblings standing beside their trailer; one of them looking very familiar.

Almost immediately, the depression Spanner felt washed away to be replaced by sweet warmth and affection as he heard his roommate, and best friend, greet him after not seeing each other during their entire vacation.

"Shoichi…" Spanner spoke simply, but with a happy, light tone as a small smile made its way across his face. He had been told that he wasn't very expressive in either facial features or voice, but that was from people that didn't know him too well. The sweets-loving inventor knew that Shoichi would be able to tell that he was just as excited to see him as the young programmer was (even though Shoichi was trying to act cool, Spanner could pick up the excitement in the other's voice).

And then, he heard Shoichi speak in near perfect English to his grandfather, and couldn't stop the small chuckle that left his mouth. Shoichi was always being so courteous and trying hard to impress his grandfather for some reason.

"Well, if it isn't Sho-Sho!" Spanner's grandfather exclaimed in happiness, and in Japanese, as he went up to the red-headed programmer and ruffled his hair affectionately. "You've greatly improved your English since the last time I saw you! You have such a genius of a roommate, Ulysses!"

Spanner hummed in agreement as he inwardly chuckled at the sight of Shoichi desperately trying to put his messy hair back into place. There really was no point. The young, bespectacled man had always had unruly hair.

It was then that Spanner took notice of the older woman beside Shoichi. The girl shared some of Shoichi's facial features, but her hair was more of a light brown instead of a reddish-brown. Also, Spanner couldn't help but notice the intense stare down he was getting from the young woman.

"I'm guessing this is the older sister you're always complaining so lovingly about?" Spanner joked lightly, giving Shoichi a knowing glance before he walked up to his friend's sister and extended a hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Nee-san."

Spanner chuckled a little after that.

"Sorry, your brother has never told me your name. It's always been Nee-san this, or Nee-san that. Would you mind giving me a name to match with your lovely image, Miss?"

New warmth flooded Shoichi's stomach as he saw a small smile light up Spanner's features. The mechanic's greeting was as tight-lipped as usual, but nonetheless, Shoichi could easily discern the other one was happy to see him.

Before he could concentrate on any further analysis of his friend, though, Spanner's grandfather was up close and ruffling his hair. The young programmer blushed so deeply at that, the color of his cheeks rivaled that of his hair. He tried to be as respectful to elder people as possible, and of course he tried to get on the man's good side, but really! He was twenty years of age! Very flustered, he tried his best to smooth out his mop of hair again.

"Th-Thank you, sir. Your praise is way too high. I am still learning the basics." At the elder's declaration he was a genius, Shoichi blushed a bit more. "So is your grandson. I feel honored to share an apartment with last year's youngest winner of the robotics competition."

This whole scene was even more entertaining than the young woman had hoped for when she had offered to help her kid brother move. She watched Spanner intensely the moment he was greeted by Shoichi. Although the young man was a bit skinny for her taste, she had to agree her little brother had good taste.

There was only the tiniest hint of a smile, though, and his greeting was pretty cold, too, she thought. Cold fish, she decided. Maybe this was why Sho-chan hesitated in sharing his feelings? With someone as inexpressive as that, it was hard to know what they were thinking. But if this Spanner didn't reciprocate Sho-chan's feelings, then he was just an idiot and didn't deserve her kid brother anyway!

"Hm? Oh! Ehm, yeah. That's her," Shoichi answered absolutely inadequately to the question whether the woman next to him was his older sister, since he was still concentrating on Spanner's grandfather.

"Complaining, hm?" Arms folded before her chest, the woman looked to the side, obviously not too happy with her brother.

A bit taken aback, she looked at the hand offered to her by Spanner then, and loosened her defensive stance to shake it. Maybe this young man wasn't quite the cold fish she had taken him for, she surmised, when he joked and chuckled. Her whole opinion of him changed in the next instant. A slight blush crept to her cheeks. Holding her hand up to her mouth, she giggled girlishly.

"My~y, Spanner-san, you are a real British gentleman! My name is Yoko. It's nice to finally meet you, too. Sho-chan speaks so often and highly of you!"

At this bit of information no one had asked for (definitely!), Shoichi almost choked. If he left his sister to her own devices she would spill his secret in no time!

"Nee-san, we need to start unpacking! Didn't you say you had an important appointment later?" His emphasized words were accompanied by an even more emphasizing, meaningful look.

"Nah, it's not important at all," she rectified, waving her hand dismissively. "Getting to know the guy you spent most of your year with is way more important." Yoko grinned at Spanner, her gaze full of expectation.

Shoichi didn't know about Spanner, but to him, the prospects of this morning were absolutely horrifying.

Spanner raised an eyebrow at Yoko's comment.

"Oh?" He questioned with slight surprise in his tone. "He did, did he? I was certain he'd only nag to you about my untidiness and lack of healthy eating habits."

But, before Yoko could say anymore, Shoichi jumped in and insisted that they should start moving his stuff into the apartment. Spanner couldn't suppress the amused smirk that crossed his face for a second. Shoichi was always so amusing to watch when he got flustered; and dare he say, cute. Feeling a little awkward at that last thought, Spanner pushed it to the back of his mind; promptly forgetting about it. It was normal to think that way about a friend, right? With peace of mind, Spanner started moving the rest of his boxes in along with Shoichi, the two of them occasionally helping each other when necessary.

The rest of the morning was…awkward, to say the least, though. Spanner's grandfather would constantly suggest that Spanner should forget about that Mimi girl and go out with Yoko instead. Not only that, but he would send suggestive winks Spanner's way, and comment on how pretty the young lady looked. Spanner couldn't deny that his grandfather was right, but that didn't make it any less weird. Go out with his best friend's sister? That would just make things super awkward; and, not to mention, he wasn't interested in having a girlfriend anyway.

Besides his crazy grandfather though, Yoko would constantly insinuate random things about Shoichi that made little to absolutely no sense to the confused mechanical genius. Just why did Shoichi and him have to be blessed with such weird families?

Thankfully, the morning came to an end, and the moving in process was finished. After respectful goodbyes to his grandfather and Shoichi's sister, the door finally closed behind them and peace once again reigned. With a deep sigh of relief, Spanner couldn't stop himself from glancing Shoichi's way.

"Well, thank the heaven's that's over with, right?" The young mechanic spoke with a lightly joking tone and a small chuckle.

As much as Shoichi tried to keep his sister busy, she somehow made time for embarrassing comments about him to Spanner. This morning was just the worst. Even more hurtful to him, though, was the grandfather's suggestion that Spanner not only had feelings for Mimi, but that Yoko was a more befitting candidate.

Of course, Yoko was a good-looking, young woman, with the emphasis on the word woman. Naturally the old man wanted his grandson to get a good wife. It was the normal thing to do to get a nice woman that would support him, cook for him, and keep his home in order. Well, at least Spanner would eat good and healthy food if he were to marry his sister. But she could never stand the messiness of his roommate. She would try to clean up after him and would put away the wrong things.

Shoichi often scolded Spanner for his messiness, too, but he would never touch the screws that seemed to lie on the table randomly, because, in fact, they were put there in the exact order or pattern they were needed for later. He also knew better than to put tools the other had in use back in the box they belonged to, because for some unfathomable reason, Spanner didn't seem to find them there. He did, however, take the tools he needed himself and put those back where they belonged after use. That regularly led to arguments. Still, he was sure they got along better than Spanner ever could with his sister.

Even the lack of interest Spanner showed in his sister didn't alleviate the hurt he felt at the suggestion alone. Maybe the other really already had his sights set on Mimi? She was pretty smart, and in Spanner's robotics class, too. Shoichi's heart sank at that thought.

Between his depressing thoughts and his desperate attempts to shut his sister up and not have her spill his secret feelings, all his books, CD's, computer equipment, and personal effects were finally moved into their apartment. He was at least as happy as Spanner was to finally see their two helpers drive away, and for the two of them to be alone together.

"Yeah. I can't tell you how glad I am to be back and away from my family. Nee-san definitely needs a man to finally keep her nose out of my business. She was constantly snooping around," Shoichi complained. Since he was on that topic anyway, he made one last desperate attempt to discredit any weird comments Yoko had made about him. "Just so you know, she's mental, that one. Don't take her blabbering seriously at all."

Shoichi stretched his slightly aching muscles copiously, his Blood and Peppers shirt (his absolute most favorite band in the world!) riding up to show glimpses of his flat, taut abdomen. Taking off his glasses, he pinched the bridge of his nose before putting it back on and letting himself fall onto their couch.

"Your grandfather seemed well. He's still quite active. Did you guys take that trip to the robotics center in Chiba this summer?" Shoichi asked, interested. "Did you take some tranquillizers along, as I guess he was driving?" He asked with a little chuckle and an amused glint in his eyes. He only knew about the old man's driving habits from Spanner's accounts, and that first corner the old man liked to take screeching when he left the premises, but he could very well believe those drives must be horrifying.

"She's mental?" Spanner raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You really are getting a hang of that English. You almost sounded like a Brit there."

The young mechanic lost his train of thought, though, when he saw Shoichi stretch, and saw the bespectacled man's favorite band-shirt ride up. Staring at the expanse of toned stomach before his eyes, Spanner couldn't help but think on how Shoichi seemed to have started working out during the summer. He couldn't remember the other's stomach having the slight indication of a six-pack.

"Oh yeah, Gramps is still well," Spanner answered as he watched Shoichi take an exhausted seat upon their couch. "In fact, I think it would take more than death itself to bring him down."

With a soft chuckle, Spanner made his way over to his friend and sat beside him on the couch.

"Actually, I was really busy this summer, so I couldn't take the time to go to Chiba. But thank you for the idea about the tranquilizers. I might have to use those the next time Gramps wants to drive."

Spanner looked into Shoichi's eyes then, a look of deep concentration on his face as he thought over something in his head.

"Actually, Shoichi," the blonde-haired teen started with a little spark of excitement in his pale blue eyes, "how about we go to Chiba to see the robotics center next summer as celebration for winning this year's robotics competition?"

A proud smile graced Shoichi's lips at the praise. He was really working hard to learn English. Of course, it was good for his later career to learn the language, but most of all, he did it because of, and for, Spanner. He really loved hearing his secret crush speak in his native tongue. If he actually understood what the other said, that would be so much better, right? Also, it brought them closer together. Spanner had agreed to teach him a bit whenever they weren't swamped with other work (since there weren't too many other students who spoke fluent English), that way, once he mastered it, he could make the mechanic feel more at home.

Again, Shoichi chuckled a bit, "I'm glad to hear that, and I guess you're right. Tell me, did he actually make a pass at Mimi, or did I imagine things?"

He turned a bit on the couch when the other one sat down next to him. His expression grew sad with compassion.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear you were so busy otherwise."

Spanner's sky blue eyes caught his then. He felt a fluttering in his stomach at the intensity of that gaze. The blonde mechanic's suggestion totally surprised Shoichi. He had never expected anything like this. The idea of going on a trip with his best friend was dangerously starting off his imagination, a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks. The confidence the other displayed, though, was able to distract him from those thoughts. He laughed a bit.

"You're pretty confident we'll win, it seems," the other's laugh turned to a smile as his gaze once again locked with Spanner's. "I would like to go. I wanted to see that exhibition for quite a while, but with Nee-san and mom's relationship, the women in the family get to pick vacation spots, and somehow they don't think Chiba is worthy of their time. Also, I bet it will be way more fun going with you." He winked at that last bit.

Spanner didn't know why, but he felt more alive than he could ever remember at that moment as he heard Shoichi say yes to his proposal. With his blue eyes sparking with more excitement than it felt like he could hold, Spanner winked back.

"Now, we can't have that. We can't have your mum and sister control where you go on holiday forever!" The young mechanic smirked with confidence. "Women always drag men down on holiday anyway. Without them, we blokes can just do whatever pleases us without the extra nagging, and without being designated as the bag carriers."

"Also," Spanner continued with a mischievous gleam in his eyes, "I know we'll be able to celebrate our victory, because we have an advantage over the other contestants. Not only do we have the two of us, the top students of our respective departments, entering that contest, but both of us have memories of the technology from our old future. Because of that, we're sure to win."

The blonde-haired genius seemed to lose himself in thought for a moment before he spoke up again.

"Speaking of technology from our old future…I have something to show you."

Like a child before a Christmas present, the excitement on Spanner's face reached all-time levels as he gave Shoichi a knowing look before he got up and headed towards his room. After a bit of shuffling, Spanner finally pushed out a small, yet tall (it reached up to the average person's stomach), box on wheels. Thankful that their flooring in the apartment was mainly wood, Spanner easily maneuvered the movable box over to where Shoichi still sat, and presented it to him.

"How about you do the honors of opening my greeting present for you, Shoichi?" The young mechanic said with a soft smile as he leaned one hand against the top of the box.

Shoichi laughed heartily at Spanner's comment, "How do you know with just your grandfather around? Sometimes I can't feel my arms anymore, not to mention that I can't see where to go with all the bags they make me carry!"

His friend's explanation as to why they would win had Shoichi worry his lower lip. Was it fair? This was a question he had asked himself before. It was one thing to make top of the class because of their knowledge, and another to use it in a competition. But, they couldn't just forget about it. Those memories were just there, and almost impossible to ignore. Also, the both of them had been in their alternative time line positions, because they had been geniuses there, too. They were just a little more knowledgeable now, and could learn faster, because some of the knowledge already lay dormant in their heads. They also had so much better understanding of overall correlations and connections that only experience can bring. But the big question Shoichi worried about was if it was fair to use their knowledge and experience against fellow students in direct contest.

Before he could ask Spanner how he thought about this, though, the other one seemed excited about something, and left him for a moment. When he returned, he wheeled in a box.

"Wah? Spanner?! That's...That's just huge!" An embarrassed blush marred his cheeks. What did the other one think?! Shoichi thought of the tiny little gift he had for his friend. There was absolutely no comparison! "I...I don't have anything like that for you..." He mumbled dejectedly.

His gaze had dropped in his embarrassment, but now he looked up, though. He felt bad about his tiny gift, but he couldn't help but be excited for what Spanner had for him. With a hesitant smile, Shoichi looked from the mechanic to his gift. It was a pretty nondescript cart box, except for the English signs, "This way up" and, "Fragile". The funny thing about the box, though, was that it didn't open at the top but at the front. Considering that the gift obviously was heavy, that actually made sense.

Excitement bubbled to the surface then, and Shoichi's eyes lit up. He couldn't wait any longer. Finally he opened the box. The sight that greeted him made his breath hitch. Eyes shining brightly, the young programmer looked at Spanner.

"Wah! Spanner! When...? How...? He...He looks perfect!"

In the box sat Mini Mosca. After Spanner's first place in the robotics competition, the two of them had decided to pool their knowledge and build a Mini Mosca for the next competition together. They had started on the skeleton, its mobility, and inner workings, but that was as far as they had gotten. What greeted him now was a fully cased little robot that looked very much like the one that had gave his electronic life to save his master. With surprising vigor, Shoichi clawed at the cart board, tearing it apart to free the little robot.

"He's...He's beautiful! I...I guess now I know why you didn't make it to Chiba," the red-head said with a soft smile.

Reverently, he reached out to touch the matt-painted, gray robot.

"Please tell me you didn't work on his programming..." Shoichi looked at Spanner again; beseechingly this time.

He knew Spanner had built all of the Millefiore Mosca's by himself, but for this project the blonde mechanic had asked him to join. Spanner was more than able to program this little fellow by himself to be able to handle all the rudimentary functions, but they had agreed they wanted more, and this was where Shoichi was supposed to come in.

Spanner just sent a small, warm smile his best friend's way when he noticed how embarrassed and disheartened the other seemed to be at the sight of the box.

"Don't worry about something as insignificant as that, Shoichi," Spanner reassured his glasses-wearing friend with a gentle tone. "Technically, we didn't have to get each other gifts in the first place, but we did. The very fact that we even thought of getting something for each other is enough."

The young mechanic wasn't sure if Shoichi agreed with him, but the next second, all such thoughts went to the back of his mind as he watched the excitement grow in Shoichi's dark green eyes. Spanner couldn't suppress the huge smile that spread across his face as he watched Shoichi open the box and react with astonishment at what he saw. It had taken the blonde teen all summer to build the full, working body of Mini Mosca. Truthfully, he still needed to do some fine tuning and add a few mechanisms to it depending on what Shoichi wanted to program the robot to do. But he was complete in body, and he could at least be turned on at the moment. Spanner knew that with him and Shoichi working together, they'd be able to build a better Mini Mosca then the original one he had in his old future.

As he thought this, Spanner almost missed what his programming friend had said.

"Yeah, he's the reason why I wasn't able to go. I was a little bummed that I wouldn't be able to make it to Chiba, but it was a blessing, I think, in the end. Now we get to experience it together! I didn't mind spending my whole holiday on Mini Mosca, though. I really wanted to show you his finished body by the time we had to go back to school," Spanner's soft smile turned into an amused smirk then when he heard Shoichi's plea.

"Of course I didn't do any programming," The blond mechanic chuckled out lightly. "What would have been the purpose of having you on my team if I wasn't going to bloody let you do anything? Mini Mosca doesn't know how to do basically anything except to turn on and walk. I didn't even install voice commands, and I haven't even tried to turn him on yet to test him out. So, how about it, Shoichi? Do you want to do the honors of being the first to officially turn him on and watch him walk?"

"This is really incredible! I can't imagine how many hours you've put in, but it was worth it," Shoichi decided as his hand slid over the little robot's dome to feel the cool structure of the steel, the gesture very reminiscent of a parent stroking his kid's head.

The red-head smiled in relief when he heard Spanner's answer to his question. "Well, yeah, I guess you're right. But I know how immersed we can get in our work, and how hard it can be to stop. I'm really happy you did, though." Once again, Shoichi's eyes lit up when he heard the offer. "Really? You want me to turn him on? Th-Thank you!"

They had agreed to hide the on/off switch for Mini Mosca underneath the energy pack on the robot's backside. Kneeling down beside Mini Mosca, Shoichi felt for the little switch and found it.

"This really is the greatest gift ever!" Shoichi said, looking up at Spanner with excitement sparkling in his eyes.

Just hitting the switch felt wrong somehow. This here was a momentous event. "3...2...1..." He counted down at least. "Go!"

He hit the switch and a soft red light lit up Mini Mosca's eyes. With a low whirring sound, the little track-drives in the robot's feet started him off. Slowly but surely, he drove in a beeline for the table, hit it with a thud, and then started to push the table ahead.

Shoichi couldn't help but laugh, "Hahaha, hey, little one, stop!" Of course Spanner had told him he hadn't installed voice command yet, so he got up and turned the robot around with quite a bit of effort, so that he made his way back to Spanner.

"Okay, I guess the first things we need to work on are object detection, identification, evasion thereof, and, of course, voice command!" The programmer's eyes were sparkling as he thought about the work to come. He was totally in his element now. All the tiredness he had felt from moving was gone. Shoichi really wanted to start on the programming right now.

"Ehm...Spanner...how tired are you...?"

Soft, doting affection shone in the young mechanic's eyes as he heard Shoichi's gratitude and watched as the other remembered where they had promised to place Mini Mosca's on switch; turning their baby on. It felt a little weird to think of Mini Mosca as his and Shoichi's kid, but in a way, he was. It didn't help that Shoichi was acting like an excited, first time mother (Spanner bet Shoichi would have loved to hear him say that).

A soft chuckle escaped Spanner's lips then as he thought over that little inside joke of his and as he watched Mini Mosca run into the coffee table and start pushing it forward. The blonde teen's amusement only increased as he watched Shoichi try to move the fat, little robot around. Shoichi must have started working out or something, because he was able to turn the robot around all on his own!

Spanner gave a little whistle of amazement as he stared at the other in astonishment. Who said programmers couldn't have muscle? As he thought that piece of information over, he noticed how Mini Mosca was heading his way now. Not interested in being run over, Spanner braced himself and held the moving robot in place as best as he could while he reached around to switch him off. During this, the British mechanic made noises of approval towards Shoichi's suggestions for their robot's programming.

When he was done, and Mini Mosca was off, Spanner stood back up and looked at Shoichi as he asked his question. Smirking at that all-too-familiar twinkle in his best friend's eyes, Spanner could feel whatever exhaustion he had wash away as his blood started to pump at the proposition before him.

"If I'm thinking what you're thinking…" Spanner started as he took the finished stick of his cherry sucker from his mouth, threw it in the nearest trash bin, and then took another sucker from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth. "…I'm not tired at all."

And, after sending Shoichi a knowing smirk, Spanner headed into his bedroom again to grab his tools.

His roommate and secret crush had a bit of trouble in stopping the little robot. It was at this sight that Shoichi belatedly realized what Spanner had whistled for. A soft blush crept onto his cheeks. Ever since he had grown closer with the Brit, due to them living together, and his feelings for him had deepened, his memories of the Choice Battle had haunted him. He could not only remember how Spanner had been knocked out in their wrecked base, he could still feel the terror of believing the other one dead. When he had felt the mechanic's pulse, he had run off and tried to draw Kikyou away, since he himself was the marked target, but he had been so weak, so slow.

His growing feelings for Spanner had inspired him. He wanted to be stronger. Never again did he want to feel so weak. Since his sister was going to a sports club, he had started to go along during their break. It was slow going, but some results were finally showing.

Spanner's answer was exactly as he expected. Still it made him happy. He had to smile as his friend fluently exchanged the finished sucker for a new one. For a short while, Shoichi had feared for his friend's teeth, but somehow they didn't seem to be affected; neither in their old future nor here.

"That's good to hear," he said with a wink as he pushed his glasses up his nose and went to his bedroom to get his laptop and the cables. Only when he saw the red cables, did he remember his gift for Spanner. With his excitement at seeing the finished casing of Mini Mosca, and said robot's first steps, he had totally forgotten about it.

He pulled the small package from the outer pocket of his laptop carry bag. Shoichi had exchanged the cheap packaging for a black box with black velvet-like lining. He had thought it to be classier. But now, after seeing Spanner's gift for him, he felt it was absolutely inadequate.

Sighing softly, Shoichi, nonetheless, took it with him back into the living room. It might cause his roommate to smile at least.

When Spanner had returned, too, the red-head held out the long, small box to the other one, "I almost forgot. It can never compare to your gift, but...I hope you still like it."

After grabbing his tool box and his work gloves, Spanner made his way back to the living room. He was beyond excited. Since tomorrow was Sunday, he and Shoichi could stay up all night configuring their robot and coming up with new ideas.

As he placed his toolbox and gloves by the coffee table, and after he moved the table back to its original position (since Mini Mosca had moved it), it was then that Spanner noticed Shoichi holding out a long, black box for him to take.

Hearing the programmer's crestfallen words, Spanner gently took the box in hand and opened it. There, nestled in between the soft, velvet lining of the box were two, red, lightsaber chopsticks.

The blonde-haired teen's eyes widened in shock as he stared down at the beautiful, yet coolest, looking chopsticks he'd ever seen. His inner fan-boy was jumping for joy at having such a utensil in his Star Wars collection now.

"These…These are those expensive Star Wars chopsticks, aren't they?" Spanner questioned as he stared up at Shoichi in amazement. "And these are the Darth Vader one's too. I heard practically every online store or vendor who sells these chopsticks always have them out of stock because of how popular they are! How did you get these, Shoichi?!"

No words could express the amazement and joy he felt then as he held those rare chopsticks in his hand. Shoichi knew that his favorite Star Wars character was Darth Vader!

Hopeful to at least make the other one smile, the young programmer watched Spanner's reaction as he opened the box. It was just a slight change, eyes widening just a bit, but Shoichi knew Spanner long enough to know he had picked the right gift. It was nothing like the one he had gotten, but his friend was happy, and that was all he could ask for.

"Ah, well...they weren't too expensive..." Shoichi made a dismissive gesture. For two small pieces of plastic, though, they were pretty high priced. "Oh, yeah, the Count Dooku ones are easy to come by, but the Vader lightsabers are rare," he confirmed. His eyes lit up, and a small smile tugged at his lips then. "I made a little bot program. It checked up on twenty different websites twice a day to see when they restocked. I made it so that it put in the order the moment the item became available." It was obvious how proud Shoichi was of his idea.

"I know you like Darth Vader best, so I couldn't settle for Yoda's. I...I'm glad you like them," the other said as his proud smile turned into a truly happy one. The red-haired programmer was really glad that his gift was well received.

"Will you use them, or are you going to put them into your collection?" He asked with a little wink. If Spanner really wanted them just for his collection, he had done the wrong thing in opening them, and even worse, throwing away the original package. He had destroyed the MINT condition. But his friend was the practical type, so he was pretty sure he would want to use them anyway.

As he listened to Shoichi's answers, Spanner gave a small nod after hearing that the chopsticks weren't too pricey (that was true, but for two pieces of plastic that were used as eating utensils, they sure were). And when he heard of his programming buddy's plan on ordering the chopsticks, the young mechanic couldn't stop the small, proud smile that lit up his face. He was definitely working with the right man. Shoichi was a genius!

A wave of warmth he couldn't explain suddenly washed over his whole body after seeing a truly happy smile light up his best friend's face then. Spanner was happy that he had made Shoichi happy about the gift, especially after how he seemed so downcast about it in comparison to the unveiling of Mini Mosca.

Hearing Shoichi's question then, about either keeping the chopsticks in his collection or using them, Spanner couldn't help but smirk in return as he made his way up to Shoichi and tousled his hair affectionately with one hand.

"I'll use them of course. Chopsticks are meant to be used for eating, so that's what I'll do with them. I bet they'll make those cheap ramen cups taste better."

Chuckling a little at his last statement, Spanner then brought Shoichi into an affectionate, side hug.

"You're a genius, Shoichi. I couldn't ask for a greater mate," the blond mechanic spoke gently with gratitude in his voice. "Thanks for the gift."

Letting go of his roommate, the young Brit made his way over to the table where his tools and Mini Mosca waited.

"How about we get started with the tinkering? Do you want to put on some tunes?" Spanner suggested as he sent a curious glance Shoichi's way. "By the way, did you come across any new CD's or music artists over the holiday?"

Shoichi was a bit proud of himself that he had judged correctly about the use of the chopsticks. He really had come to know Spanner quite well. Still, he didn't duck fast enough to evade the tousling of his hair. At least it felt worlds better now than when the old man had done it. His smile vanished though at the mention of the cup ramen.

"No cup ramen for you, my friend," the programmer just admonished when the mechanic side-hugged him. Warmth flooded Shoichi's body, and his stomach fluttered at the closeness of the intimate gesture. A little blush crept onto his cheeks again. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose to hide his flustered state a bit. "I...I've stocked up on new recipes during the break," he continued in slight nervousness. "Nee-san and my mom were only too happy to show me. I can't watch how you eat that artificial stuff. It's just not healthy."

His blush deepened then at the compliment he got. "You're...You're welcome," he stuttered as he had to hold in a soft sigh when Spanner let go of him. Shoichi watched the back of his friend as he approached the coffee table. He shook his head to clear his thoughts before he followed.

"Yeah sure, let's start."

The next question had Shoichi all excited in no time again. "Oh yes! Did you ever hear of High and Mighty Color? It's progressive rock style. I like all of their music so far. You might even know some of their songs from anime."

Shoichi knelt down by the table and started up his laptop. A few moments later Mini Mosca had a bunch of cables hooked up to him and rock music filled the room.

"High and Mighty Color? Can't say I have," Spanner answered his friend after a moment of thought. But according to Shoichi, they sang some anime songs, so he might actually know them and just didn't know it. Spanner was a fanatic about Japan in general so he did tend to watch a good portion of anime.

And, sure enough, in the next instant, Shoichi was all plugged in and blaring very familiar rock music.

"Is this Ichirin no Hana from Bleach?" The young Brit asked with slight astonishment as he put on his work gloves and opened the back compartment of Mini Mosca. "If it is, then I have at least heard of this group before. What other songs do you like of theirs? I might just put some on my IPod."

"Yeah, it is!" Shoichi nodded enthusiastically. "I thought the song was so cool, I wanted to hear more from them."

His fingers were flying over the keyboard now as he opened Mini Mosca's start-up program. Although they had built in the radar and motion detectors into the robot's skeleton, their drivers weren't uploaded yet. So that was what Shoichi did first.

"'The Moon Illuminates', is pretty cool, too." Pulling up the window to his player program, he selected the named song. It started with some electric guitar screeching, but became melodic right after. "I really like the voice of the female singer," Shoichi said as he typed in commands, not realizing that his fingers picked up the rhythm of the song. "'Dive into yourself', and 'Last Word', are good, too. I'll let them play, and you can see if you like them as well."

Actually, the red-head was pretty sure Spanner would like the music, too. They tended to like the same music.

"Okay, Mini Mosca's system software now recognizes the radar and motion detectors. That was the easy part. Now he needs to learn how to use the information he gets..." This was a soft mumble, more to himself than to Spanner.

He did look over to his roommate then, though, and offered, "I could put my absolute favorites on your IPod, if you trust my judgment."

When he heard Shoichi's confirmation to the song's name, Spanner felt a sense of triumph for getting it right, and for the enthusiastic look his best friend was sending his way. After that, Spanner just smiled and nodded as Shoichi listed off other songs, and even played one on his computer that he liked. Spanner had to admit that Shoichi really had some good taste in music, and knew just the right ones to share with him.

After he heard the young programmer mumble cutely to himself about Mini Mosca's operations, he then heard the other's question. A small smirk made its way onto the young blonde's lips as he glanced back towards his red-haired friend.

"Of course, I trust your judgment one hundred percent. You know that, Shoichi. I'll hand over my IPod to you tomorrow if you don't mind," Spanner answered as his smirk turned into a soft smile. "Actually, now that we're on the subject of your judgment, I was wondering if you could give me some advice?"

Spanner looked away then as he thought over the words and ideas in his head. It had been bothering him all night, but his grandfather had been so insistent with the subject that the teenage mechanic couldn't get it off his mind. He was sure that he didn't have time for a girlfriend, but if not now, then when? Maybe this would be the only shot he had in life?

"You know that Mimi girl in my robotics class, and the one that lives down the hall from us? The one that Gramps keeps on insisting that I should date?" Spanner asked with a slight spark of curiosity in his voice. "She's not bad looking, and she's really smart, but do you think I should give her a shot like my Gramps wants? I've never had a girlfriend before, so I fear that I'd screw up or something. What do you think, Shoichi?"

At hearing Spanner's answer to his offer, the red-haired programmer felt very proud. His eyes shone with happiness. A new wave of warmth swept over him at the sentiment.

"Okay, I'm always glad to share my music with you."

While he looked at Spanner, the other's mood seemed to change. "Yes...Yes, of course. I'll try to help you any way I can," he reassured his secret crush.

A certain excitement grew in the young man as Spanner seemed to collect his thoughts. This seemed to be something pretty important, and his best friend not only wanted to share this with him, but he valued his opinion on it. As fast as it soared, his heart sank again, though.

Lifting his hand to correct the position of his glasses, Shoichi hid tightening lips behind it. Swallowing around the lump in his throat, his features softened, and he dropped his hand. His fears did come true, finally. Spanner had an eye on Mimi. He really should be happy for his best friend, right? Still, it hurt. Nonetheless, he forced a smile onto his face as his stomach pinched uncomfortably.

"Oh, yes. I know her by sight and by reputation, mostly." Not able to bear looking at Spanner any longer, his gaze dropped to the keyboard. "She is very good-looking, to be exact. And yes, I know her by reputation, because she is the top of her math-class, and well-known in the physics department, too. So, I would agree that she is very smart."

It was very hard to force those next words past his lips, but it was the right thing to do if he wanted to consider himself to be Spanner's best friend, at least, "You...You should go for it; not just because of your grandfather, but because she is a good choice."

His hand combed through his hair as pain stabbed his stomach again. He dug his nails into his scalp to distract himself with the self-inflicted, lighter pain. "You will have to try. But you are a kind-hearted person, and very giving. Every girl should feel honored to catch your attention." Even though it was breaking his heart, Shoichi managed another smile. "Just remember to clean up after yourself. Girls don't care for messy guys."

Hearing Shoichi's words of encouragement and compliments, another wave of affectionate warmth spread through the young mechanic.

"Thanks, Shoichi. That means a lot," Spanner replied with a soft smile. "I'll try it out then. Maybe I'll go and talk to her on Monday during our class together?"

After a moment of thought, Spanner spoke up again.

"As for my messes, well, I don't think I can help that too much, but I'll give it a shot. If she nags to me like you do, I think she'll keep me in line," Spanner joked as he nudged Shoichi in the arm as a friendly gesture. "Now, that's enough about girls, so how about we get back to business, mate. What sort of gadgets did you want me to put in Mini Mosca again?"

After that, the two friends were completely focused on their robot project, the both of them staying up until the wee hours of the morning, programming, and working with circuitry as they planned on the assortments of gadgets and abilities they were going to give Mini Mosca.

When the bright, Sunday morning sunshine shone down into Spanner's face the next day, the blonde teen blinked his eyes groggily as he sat up in bed, and glanced at the clock on the nightstand next to him. Seeing that it was a little after ten in the morning, Spanner yawned, and dragged himself out of bed.

Deciding he would take a quick shower, he grabbed the first clothes he saw in his closet and headed to the bathroom. Before he could enter the small bathroom, though, he came across an obstacle blocking his way. There stood Shoichi, leaning up against the outside of his bedroom door with one hand holding his laptop and the other hand on the handle, fast asleep (and snoring for that matter).

Completely boggled by the sight before his tired eyes, Spanner could only stare at his sleeping friend in astonishment before he groaned. He knew that he shouldn't have left Shoichi to continue his programming last night in favor of going to bed first. Spanner should have made sure that Shoichi got to bed before falling asleep half way there instead!

Adjusting his stocking cap on his head so that it wouldn't fall off, Spanner set down his clothes, and pried Shoichi's computer from his sleeping hands. This was to make sure that when he woke his red-headed friend up that the surprise wouldn't cause him to drop his computer. When the computer was in his hands, and after he positioned it so only one of his hands was holding onto the device, Spanner shook Shoichi's shoulder as hard as he could with his free hand.

"Shoichi, wake up! You're in a weird position again!"

When that didn't do anything, Spanner quickly thought of the only other option available to him. Sticking his finger in his mouth, and thoroughly lubricating it with saliva, he stuck the finger in Shoichi's ear. Wet Willy's always woke Shoichi right up!

The red-haired programmer had been glad to immerse himself in the world of code. Computers were so much easier to handle than people; computers didn't break your heart. Working on Mini Mosca had helped calm him down a bit, but he had still been hurt, and his stomach turned because of it. There was no way he could sleep this way, so he bid Spanner good night when the other became too tired to keep going.

As soon as Spanner was in his room, Shoichi went to the bathroom and got himself some Tums. Slowly, they helped calm his stomach, but when he finally went to bed, he was so tired that, somehow, he didn't quite make it.

With a start, he was wide awake as something disgustingly wet was placed in his ear.

"YUCK!"

Blinking, Shoichi tried to get his bearings on where he was and what had just happened.

"Shiiit...Spanner, you know I hate that..." He grumbled tiredly, rubbing his ear. "Did I...Did I fall asleep standing?"

Okay, he had to admit this was a new one. He had had some interesting sleeping positions before, but still, standing had to be a record, even for him.

"Do I have another hour?" Shoichi asked his friend. An hour of sleeping in his bed, lying in the horizontal, did sound pretty damn good right now. He guessed his locked knees would thank him for it, too.

Just like he thought, Shoichi woke with a jolt at the wetness applied to his inner ear.

"I know you hate it," Spanner stated simply in response, "but if it's the only way to wake you up, what other option do I have? Maybe if you fell asleep like a normal person, we wouldn't have to do this all the time?"

A soft, joking smile made its way onto the young mechanic's lips then, to show his friend that he didn't mean it as an insult. Truthfully, it always amused him to see Shoichi passed out in random positions, but it also concerned Spanner, because it was usually bad for his friend's back.

"Yeah, this has to be the first time I've seen you sleeping standing up," Spanner spoke with concern as he heard Shoichi's other question. "Your back must be super sore right now."

It really amazed Spanner on how his friend could fall asleep so easily, and in any position possible. Compared to his versatile roommate, Spanner knew that he at least needed something soft to lie on before he could doze off.

"Of course you can have another hour, mate. Classes don't start until tomorrow," the British teen continued as he handed over Shoichi's computer for the other to take. "How about this? You go and lay down for an hour, and I'll take a quick shower here, and work on configuring Mini Mosca's finger gadgets. I'll come and wake you around 11: 30, so we can make some brunch together. You can show me one of those recipes your mum and sister taught you."

Sending a wink the red-head's way, Spanner patted him on the shoulder, opened his buddy's door, and offered Shoichi to go inside.

"And how about we relax for a bit after brunch and watch something? I have the first season of Star Trek if you're interested. And maybe, if your back still hurts, I can give you a little massage. You know I'm good with those."

Combing his hair back with his fingers, Shoichi yawned. He softly grumbled at Spanner's rhetorical questions. He couldn't really answer anyway. Short of an earthquake, or Squalo's screaming, nothing could wake him when he really passed out; nothing except Spanner's disgusting Wet Willies.

Only when his roommate mentioned it, did Shoichi feel the tenseness in his back. He groaned as he tried to stretch.

"Well, at least the sensory input is working with the analytical programming, and the voice command is set up. It already works with the movement basics. So, Mini Mosca understands commands like, 'go to the coffee table', and he won't try to overrun it unless you tell him to," he stated a tiny bit proud, and with a wink at the end.

His back and knees felt pretty sore, but Shoichi felt like it was still worth it. He nodded at the declaration that today was still classes free.

"Hm...yeah. Sounds like a plaaa~aan." That last word was barely discernible, drowned out as it was in a long yawn.

With his laptop under his arm, Shoichi staggered sleep drunk through his door. He nodded at the idea of watching something later, but didn't even turn his head. Only then, Spanner said something that, for one moment, mobilized the last remnants of wakefulness. When he turned his head, Shoichi's eyes shone. If it were possible, pounding, little pink hearts would have flown from them.

"Really? Would you?! You're the best! They're the best! I bet I'll need it badly."

When Spanner promised he'd stick to his offer, a long, satisfied sigh left the programmer. With his last strength, he pushed the laptop onto his nightstand, dropped onto the mattress, and he was out like a light.

Shoichi was pretty despondent, that is, until Spanner had mentioned giving him a massage. In the next instant, the blond-haired mechanic saw his friend's tired face light-up like fireworks in the dead of night. A soft smile graced Spanner's lips as he promised to give his roommate what he desired most, and asked him to get some restful sleep in turn.

After shutting the door behind Shoichi, Spanner grabbed his clothes from the floor and headed to the bathroom behind him. After a quick shower (Spanner made a mental note to upgrade the crappy shower head the college didn't see fit to upgrade themselves later on), the British teen got dressed and headed to the living room where his tools, and Mini Mosca, still were. The next forty minutes went by fast as Spanner tested out the voice command Shoichi had operated into Mini Mosca's system, and added a fire extinguisher mechanism into one of Mini Mosca's fingers. Making sure that all the circuitry worked with the fire extinguisher, and making a note to tell Shoichi about programming the voice command into the robot along with the essential protocols needed in order for Mini Mosca to know when, and why, he'd need to use the fire extinguisher, Spanner was about to figure out how to add a microwave to the robot's belly. It was here that he realized, though, that it was time to wake Shoichi up.

Heading to his roommate's room, Spanner knocked on the door out of courtesy before he opened the door and walked in. There he saw Shoichi laying face first on the bed with one foot practically touching the floor, and his arm still outstretched towards his nightstand where his computer lay. Shaking his head at his friend's crazy sleeping position again, Spanner made his way over to the bed and shook Shoichi. The young programmer must have really wanted that massage if he wasn't lying on his back to make it feel better.

Realizing that shaking and raising his voice at the other wasn't helping him to wake up, Spanner tried to think of another way to wake his roommate without having to resort to a Wet Willie again (he didn't want Shoichi too angry with him). Pondering for a second, Spanner went over to the computer lying on Shoichi's nightstand and opened it. After finding the red-head's music file, the sweets-loving teen clicked on Ichirin no Hana, fast forwarded the song to the screaming part, and put the computer speakers on full blast.

Bracing himself, Spanner quickly pressed play and covered his ears.

Since Shoichi was such a music lover, he had refitted the cheap, lousy sounding speakers in the laptop with top grade ones. Even at the volume Spanner had chosen to wake him up, they sounded halfway decent.

Different from the Wet Willy, this kind of wake-up call was working slower, but much more humane on him. "Hmmm...?" Shoichi murmured, blinking slowly. When it didn't get much brighter, even though his eyes were open, and he realized there was something soft pressing against his nose, he turned his head.

Blinking again, he now could discern Spanner. "Is it time already?" Most probably his friend couldn't make out his words over the blaring music. With a yawn, Shoichi turned onto his back and stretched; after which, Spanner finally turned off the music. The stretching made the red-head feel a tiny bit better, but his back was really sore now.

'Hot shower. That's what's needed', he decided. "Thanks for waking me. I'll just take a shower, and then we can start on the food. Okay?" He brought himself into a sitting position. Shoichi had no idea how crumpled he looked. Not just his clothes, but his face too, since he had slept face first in a bunched up part of blanket. That meant all the wrinkles had neatly imprinted themselves onto his skin, and, not to mention, he also hadn't even taken off his glasses.

The young programmer got up then, went to his closet, and pulled out some fresh clothes. "Did you try out the voice command?" Shoichi asked over his shoulder as he decided on the right t-shirt. He settled on a Metallica shirt today. It was a size too big, but damn comfy for Sunday hang-outs because of that. "I'm gonna work on his comprehension some more these days. At the moment, he will only react to clear cut commands."

His fresh clothes under his arm, he turned back to Spanner. "I want him to be able to pick things out in a normal conversation and also react to them on his own someday. It'll take quite some problem solving solution algorithms I have yet to write, but just imagine how that would go over at the competition if we ask the jury for any household problem and make Mini Mosca solve it on his own." There was a slightly dreamy look on Shoichi's face when he said that.

To the British teen's surprise, Shoichi didn't wake right away. It took a minute or two, but when the red-head finally stirred, he didn't seem the slightest bit irritated by the loud music. Not able to comprehend how that was possible, or what his roommate was saying to him now, for that matter, Spanner quickly turned off the music and set the volume to a regular level, so that Shoichi wouldn't be taken by surprise when he turned it on again.

"That sounds good," Spanner agreed as he gave his ruffled-looking friend a once over. "I think you'll need a shower in order to fully wake up and relax those muscles of yours. And speaking of showers, I think we should modify that crappy shower head of ours pretty soon. The pressure leaves a lot to be desired."

Hearing Shoichi's next words, Spanner couldn't help but smile proudly at his roommate.

"Yes, I tried the voice command out. It works like a charm," the young mechanic praised his programming friend.

And then he saw that dreamy look cross Shoichi's face, and couldn't help but chuckle at how wishful the other looked.

"Yeah, that would be awesome if we could get Mini Mosca to do that," Spanner agreed with an amused smile before it turned serious. "I know we both have the skills to do it, but do you think we have the right computer program to make those algorithms? Or do you think you can find a way to put those into Mini Mosca with the one we have?"

Although he had heard the comment about the shower head, it wasn't too important to Shoichi at the moment. Not when compared to the way more interesting topic of Mini Mosca and his programming.

He returned Spanner's smile in the same manner. "Good. Very good."

Slowly the red-haired programmer nodded. "Yeah. Those were my own thoughts exactly. To create these algorithms, I will need more computing power than both our laptops combined could provide. With my advanced computer class this year, though, I get working hours at the school's supercomputers. To them, it will be a piece of cake. It will take me a while to create the programs, but the technical requirements are met with this."

Shoichi left his bedroom then, pushing Spanner backwards and out of his room that way. He leaned against the door frame for a moment.

"Like you said, we've got the skills. We should be able to make Mini Mosca do anything we like, and I won't let myself get stopped by mere missing computing power alone. I'll just finish my exercises on the supercomputer faster, and work on the algorithms there. Once I have done them, I can easily copy them onto my laptop."

Shoichi seemed quite confident with his plan. He pushed his glasses up his nose. "We'll talk some more later."

The young programmer went to the bathroom and took a pretty hot shower then. He was moaning when a bit of the tenseness in his back left him. Stretching and turning, he enjoyed his shower time. Now, Shoichi remembered the comment about the shower head. Spanner was right. They needed a new one.

After getting out of the shower, he dried off and put on the fresh clothes, throwing the old ones in the laundry basket. Then he joined Spanner.

"Let's make some brunch. What do you want to try? Tamagoyaki? Miso with mackerel? Green tea rice with fruits?"

Spanner's eyes widened as Shoichi talked about getting access to the supercomputers in the school. The British teen could feel a shiver go down his spine at the thought of what those amazing computers could do.

As he stared at the other in amazement, he almost didn't see his roommate come towards him and start pushing him out of the bedroom. Once he was outside, and after Shoichi mentioned copying the algorithms to his laptop, the British teen nodded in assent towards the other's suggestion.

"Yeah, let's talk later," Spanner spoke with pride and affection in his voice as he gave Shoichi a pat on the shoulder, "my genius of a roommate."

When Shoichi finally entered the bathroom, excitement coursed through Spanner's body at the prospects of their Mini Mosca project. He couldn't wait until their little robot was up and fully functioning!

While he waited for Shoichi to finish his shower, Spanner decided to start tinkering on the microwave in Mini Mosca's stomach. That's where Shoichi met up with him fifteen minutes later.

Upon hearing his best friend's question, the young mechanic's mouth couldn't stop watering at all the delicious sounding prospects. He usually didn't eat too well during college, but it seemed Shoichi was really intent on not letting that continue this year around.

"They…They all sound delicious," Spanner choked out in amazement with slightly widened eyes. "I think I'm feeling miso soup with mackerel, actually. It's been so long since I've had mackerel."

As the blonde teen got up to follow his red-haired companion to their kitchenette, Spanner's baby blue eyes directed their attention his friend's way with hope and anticipation shining in them.

"Do you think we can have the rice and fruits tomorrow morning? Do we have strawberries?"

Spanner knew that Shoichi knew his favorite fruit was strawberries; even though his favorite flavor for suckers was cherry. Cherries were his second favorite fruit.

Shoichi could hear the longing in Spanner's voice, and had to smile. After witnessing Spanner's bad eating behaviors first hand last year, he had sworn to himself to take better care of his best friend this year. He swallowed around the lump in his throat when he realized that Mimi might watch out for him soon, but at least until then...

"A...Okay, mackerel it is," he answered, a bit shaken from his depressing thoughts.

Pushing up his glasses, he gathered himself again with the familiar gesture as Spanner got up from his workspace, which was already strewn with his tools. Softly, Shoichi sighed. It was starting again. These thoughts never went very far, though, when hopeful, blue eyes looked at him.

Shoichi couldn't help but smile. "Well, they are only canned, but of course I brought some strawberries along. I know how you like them." Usually it was Spanner who initiated physical contact between them, but sometimes, Shoichi felt encouraged enough. He put a hand on Spanner's shoulder and squeezed it.

"Since it's supposed to be brunch, how about we make it a bit hearty? We've got some carrots and potatoes and daikon (Jap. horseradish). We could make it a stew," he offered after dropping his hand again. His mom had packed the food and put in vegetables that would easily hold until Monday when they could get fresh things. "I'll go grocery shopping tomorrow afternoon. If you want anything special, tell me. I'll try to get some fresh strawberries then. Did you bring enough sugar to keep producing your suckers the next few days?"

It really was the funniest and cutest thing about Spanner. Not only did he suck on the things almost constantly, he made them himself; and in the form of wrenches no less! Once or twice, Shoichi had even tried them during all night working sessions. Spanner was right, the sugar did help with the thinking, and it helped keep him awake during those times. Nonetheless, Shoichi wasn't too much of a sweet tooth, and leaned more towards salty snacks.

When he heard that the strawberries Shoichi had were canned ones, Spanner couldn't stop the slight feeling of disappointment. Canned fruits weren't as good as fresh, ripe ones, but they definitely were on the cheaper side. His saddened thoughts were quickly interrupted, though, when he felt Shoichi's hand squeeze his shoulder. Spanner was a bit taken aback by the gesture, since Shoichi didn't initiate physical contact too much, but it was a nice feeling, despite that.

Upon hearing his friend's next words, the young mechanic's mouth watered once again.

"Mmm, mackerel and vegetable stew sounds absolutely delicious," Spanner agreed as he went over to one of the low cupboards and brought out the big stew pot he saw Shoichi place in there yesterday. "Hmmm…I don't know what else I would want from the store…but how about checking to see if they have any cherries, too? I was going to try and add real cherry flavors to my suckers, instead of that artificial flavoring. But don't worry about the sugar. I swear my Gramps bought half of the nearest sugar factory for me."

With an amused smirk sent the programmer's way, Spanner continued, "So with that out of the way, how about you show me how to properly cook this stew, mate."

It made Shoichi happy that the mechanic agreed to his idea. Spanner had even gotten the pot out already when he turned to the fridge and retrieved the carrots and daikon.

"Oh. That sounds like a good idea. I would try one of those if you succeed," the red-head laughed then. "Hahaha. That's actually very nice of him. He really cares a lot about you." The amused gleam in his eyes turned to one of mischief. "He might kill you with his driving, but at least you'll die sucking happily..." Again he laughed at Spanner's reaction. "Okay, okay! Stew! I'll show you."

Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose again, he sobered up. "You start with peeling and cutting the veggies. We have enough ingredients to make it last for tomorrow, too. So, I'd say about three liters of water should be okay."

While Spanner cut the vegetables, Shoichi started on the soup base and explained what he did. He helped out with the cutting when the seasoned water boiled. "Since they are all hard vegetables we can throw them in at the same time. They need about the same time to cook," he explained when he threw in the cut pieces.

Since they had to wait for a bit now, they went to the coffee table and Mini Mosca. "Oh, that's the microwave, isn't it?" His eyes lit up once again, like they always did when they talked about the little robot. "Do you remember when we talked about different liquids that might come from his fingers? Just think how cool it would be if he could make popcorn in his belly, and have the melted butter at the ready, too?" Shoichi really liked salted, buttery popcorn. "Hmmm, but I guess that would be too much of a mess. The cooled butter would clog up the nozzle too easily, I guess."

"…That sounded so wrong, Shoichi…" Spanner commented when he heard his friend's statement about sucking away happily as he died, but Shoichi just laughed at his expression and went on explaining how to make the stew. Spanner had cooked a little before, so he at least knew how to cut up vegetables, but everything else was so new to him. Following his friend's instructions, they were able to make up the stew in no time at all.

As they waited for their brunch to cook, they went into the living room and looked at Mini Mosca. Hearing the young programmer's thoughts on their robot making use of different liquids, Spanner's expression turned into a thoughtful one.

"I think we would be able to pull off the butter gadget if we made a separate compartment within one of Mini Mosca's fingers to hold the butter. We could have a divider that shuts over the tube that would connect the butter compartment to the end of Mini Mosca's finger, so that when we wanted the butter, Mini Mosca could automatically warm it up within the compartment and open the divider to the connecting tube and nozzle when he was ready to butter the popcorn. It will be a little tricky, and I'll need to do some extra welding, but if we start on it tonight at some point, I'll have it finished by morning, I think."

Giving his friend a confident look, he then smelt the delicious aroma wafting from their kitchenette.

"That stew smells delicious," Spanner almost moaned in anticipation as his mouth watered from the aroma. "How about you finish up the stew and get it ready for us to eat, and I'll go and start up that Star Trek DVD in the living room for us to watch?"

Star Trek and mackerel stew sounded like the perfect way to spend their Sunday afternoon.

Even while he went back to the kitchenette, Shoichi's mind was on the problem. He added some wakame (dried seaweed), the mackerel, and the miso paste. A few minutes later, he filled two bowls and carried their brunch over to Spanner.

The both of them were used to their coffee table being occupied by a current project and that was why they had gotten themselves TV trays with foldaway stands. After Spanner got those TV trays ready, the both of them sat down on the couch to eat.

"I thought about it some more. If we keep the nozzle heated, the butter can't congeal. On the one hand, we would use energy even when we don't use the gadget, but on the other hand, we won't need to heat up the whole compartment, which takes up a lot more energy. If the tube part is heated too, that should be enough to have the butter all warmed up. I'm guessing that would be less work for you, too, right?"

He looked at Spanner then and remembered the food before them. He tended to forget about other things so easily when he was hooked on a problem like that. "Oh my...let's eat. I hope it's good." Blushing a bit, he pushed up his glasses and started to eat. At least Spanner knew him, and was much the same in regard to the one-track-mindedness concerning an interesting problem, so he never took offense at these things.

"Did you bring Classic or TNG?" He asked, interested then. He hadn't seen the cover for the DVD. "Turn it on, turn it on."

Heading to his bedroom to grab the DVD lying on his desk, Spanner was able to make it back to the living room right when Shoichi finished the stew. The blonde teen hummed a little tune as he placed the DVD into the player and went over to the couch. As he set up their TV trays and sat down on the couch, Shoichi came over and handed a bowl of delicious smelling stew to him. The British mechanic wanted nothing more than to dive in and consume the wonderful food, but Shoichi's idea made him stop and think.

"Yeah, that does sound a lot easier, mate," Spanner agreed after a moment of contemplation. "Okay, I'll do that sometime tonight then while you do some more programming."

Upon hearing his friend's next words as the red-head stuttered and started digging into his food, Spanner couldn't suppress the chuckle that escaped him. Deciding to take a bite himself, Spanner took his Darth Vader chopsticks (he had grabbed them from his room at the same time as the DVD) and dug around in his stew until he found a bit of fish. Placing the food in his mouth, the young blonde practically melted at the savory taste. Shoichi definitely knew how to cook!

"Delicious…" Spanner murmured to himself as he took a bite of potato next. But upon hearing Shoichi's next question, and the excitement in his tone, Spanner swallowed and smiled as he grabbed for the DVD remote on the coffee table (after moving around some of his tools, of course).

"Well, let's see, shall we?" The sweets-loving mechanic said with a smirk as he pushed play on the remote. In the next instant, the classical images of the first season of Star Trek flashed across the main menu, and an image of Captain Kirk and the Starship Enterprise took center stage on the screen.

"Enjoy, Shoichi," Spanner gently said with another smirk as he took a bite of the savory stew.

His heart actually skipped a bit when Spanner complimented the stew. It really felt good to hear his secret crush liked his cooking. Only then, he remembered about Mimi, and his soaring heart plummeted.

"Thanks," he murmured softly, "you did your part, too."

He concentrated on the screen to not let his feelings show. Seeing Kirk, though, did lighten his mood a bit. A moment later, he had a smile on his face as he spoke along with the intro. "Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise. It's five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before."

They ate and watched then; sometimes making comments on the funny looking rubber-suit aliens or the technical ideas. As soon as Shoichi was done eating, he put away his tray; stretching a bit and groaning softly. He didn't want to say anything to Spanner about his offer to massage him, but he shifted a bit on the couch, trying to find a position that didn't tense up his back too bad. Maybe he groaned a slight bit more than what was necessary.

No, he didn't want to remind his friend and inconvenience him; at least, not too consciously and obviously. But he really, really, looked forward to Spanner's hand working wonders on his back. He had felt them a very few times before, and they felt like heaven on his sore muscles!

"I don't think that just cutting up the vegetables constitutes for the taste, Shoichi," Spanner chuckled out as the first episode started.

The softest of smiles crossed his lips then as he watched the intro and heard Shoichi speak along with Captain Kirk.

"So you're Captain Kirk now? Does that make me your Spock?" The young mechanic laughed a little at that again, but all he heard was Shoichi groan. Now that he thought of it, it had been a pretty lame joke.

All too soon, the both of them were finished eating about half way through the episode. Placing their trays to the side, the both of them continued to watch the show, but Spanner couldn't help but notice how much Shoichi was shifting on the couch. Maybe he was trying to get comfortable to fall asleep or something? He hadn't gotten the most restful sleep last night, after all. But that didn't make sense with all the groaning, though. Spanner couldn't quite remember, but he felt like he was forgetting something important as they continued to watch the episode; Shoichi's groaning and shifting included.

"You know, Shoichi," Spanner started after thinking through what might possibly be the problem with his geeky friend, "if you have to go to the loo, you can just say so. I don't think the Enterprise will blow up if I pause for a second."

"At least you're calm and stoic enough to be Spock," Shoichi replied, a bit grumpy that his friend didn't react to his obvious discomfort. "I never really wanted to be Kirk. He is way too reckless, he never cared for any rules, and speaking honestly, he isn't the brightest. I guess I always felt the strongest about Scotty."

Again, he shifted as he felt his back ache in the current position.

At the comment of his friend, Shoichi's eyes went wide. He blushed deeply. "It's...It's not that! I...know how to pause the DVD!" The programmer felt embarrassed at the implied reason for his shifting around.

He would have to come out with the true reason, otherwise Spanner might have very weird, and even more embarrassing, thoughts about him. "It's...It's my back. I can't find a comfortable position. It's all tensed up and aching," he admitted still blushing. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to annoy you with my fidgeting."

Spanner held a fist up to his mouth to try and stifle the loud chuckle that irrupted from his throat at his friend's true excuse. He felt a little embarrassed for guessing wrong, but how else was he supposed to know? And he also felt a little bad for forgetting about that promised massage. The stew and Star Trek had his total and complete attention to the point that he had forgotten everything else, and Spanner hated to admit that was a huge character flaw of his. Once he was focused on something, practically the only thing that could divert his attention from it was some sort of divine intervention.

"Sorry, Shoichi, I became too focused on the show that I forgot," the young mechanic apologized wholeheartedly for his mistake, and for embarrassing himself and his friend in the process. "But why didn't you just say so in the first place? I would have helped you sooner."

With a sincere smile, Spanner ruffled his best friend's hair with his hand as he got up from the couch.

"Okay, how about you lay down on your stomach, mate, and I'll try to find your problem areas?"

And just as he suggested, the red-haired programmer laid down to cover the whole couch as Spanner knelt down on the ground beside him. Taking his ungloved hands, he traced them down Shoichi's back as he tried to find the areas of greater tension. From what it felt like, Shoichi's whole back was stiff and sore from his previous night's sleep. Furrowing his brows in deep concentration, Spanner got to work on his roommates back as he started from the top; Shoichi's shoulders.

Digging his thumbs into the other's shoulder blades, the British teen started kneading small circles into his friend's skin at a slow pace. He wanted to make sure he wasn't too hasty, or else he'd cause more damage to Shoichi's muscle structure. As he did this, he listened closely to the noises Shoichi made to make sure that he was doing everything right.

"I didn't want to impose...I thought maybe I could hold out 'til after the episode," the red-head answered, though the real reason was that he wanted Spanner to notice himself. Perhaps it was childish, but he wished for his friend to care about him and to just know.

He wrinkled his nose as his hair was ruffled. Although he made a face to the contrary, Spanner was the only person he liked to ruffle his hair.

Shoichi took off his glasses and lay down when the other one asked him to. "The shoulders and lower back are the worst," he said before he buried his face in his arms that were crossed underneath him.

A shiver ran down the programmer's spine when Spanner's hands touched him. Moments later, he was purring like a kitten under the mechanic's ministrations. A few groans escaped him when a thumb kneaded into a new knot, but they loosened fast under the talented hands of his friend, which elicited soft moans of relief, and even pleasure from the programmer.

"Hmmm...it feels soooo good...I can't tell you..." Shoichi mumbled way more relaxed. "Can you...just a little lower...Oh, damn...yeah...that's the spot." He groaned at the slight pain when Spanner worked on a very hard knot, only to sigh deeply when the wondrous hands undid it. "You're the best."

In his relaxed state, Shoichi's strict control of his mind slipped. For a moment, he pictured the talented hands on his skin touching more than his back. How would those calloused hands feel on his chest? His stomach? And...lower?

When his rationality caught up to his flying fantasies, Shoichi bit his lower lip. The slight physical pain was nothing compared to how he had just hurt himself with these dreams that never could be. Not to mention that he now had another stiffness to deal with.

'Pi is 3.1415926535; the fourth root of 8956 is 9.728...' Shoichi tried to calm his body by occupying his treacherously wandering mind with math problems.

Hearing the other's deep sighs and purrs of pleasure, Spanner knew he was doing very well. Listening to Shoichi's request, he went lower on his friend's body and kneaded the sore flesh below his fingertips. But as he got lower, he could feel the knots in Shoichi's back become harder and less cooperative, and Shoichi's shirt became a hindrance in effectively massaging the other's back.

"Sorry for the intrusion, Shoichi," Spanner mumbled out in his concentration, "but I have to go under your shirt in order to get to the knots in your lower back."

And, before he could hear the programmer's answer, Spanner easily lifted the other's shirt and exposed his bare back to the air. Immediately getting down to business, Spanner's hands groped, prodded, and kneaded the smooth skin as effectively as he could. He didn't want his friend to have back problems this early in his life, so Spanner felt it was essential to help Shoichi out with massages whenever he could. It was the least he could do, since his roommate was so focused on cooking meals for him now.

Just when he thought solving math problems in his head might help, Spanner lifted his shirt. There was no time to protest, and no sensible reason would come to mind anyway. Cool air hit his warm skin, and goosebumps grew on his back.

The calloused fingers he had tried to imagine just moments ago touched his skin. Although he really didn't want to, he couldn't help but moan softly. It felt way better than what he had imagined. It was an incredible feeling, and it was turning him on again.

"Nngh," he groaned softly when he felt the couch underneath him only too vividly. As much as Shoichi tried this time, not even a math-problem more complicated than 2 + 2 would come to his mind. It was just too active with other thoughts.

'Please keep going', the red-head prayed. Maybe if this went on a bit longer, he had a chance to calm down again; only, each and every touch felt like heaven. It relaxed the knots in his back, and made him wonder how those hands would feel working on his lower parts.

Those kinds of thoughts really didn't help to calm him down. Shoichi tried to lift his ass a bit, to take away some of the pressure on his growing problem.

To the young mechanic's surprise, he felt Shoichi raise his hips as he started massaging the small of the other one's back. Raising an eyebrow with said motion in return, Spanner realized how difficult it was to massage his roommate's back when he was raising it higher. With firm hands, he stopped the massage for a second to grab a hold of Shoichi's hips.

"Now, now, Shoichi, don't get your knickers in a twist here," Spanner said with a soothing tone as he gently pushed his friend back down onto the couch with complete obliviousness. "I'm not finished yet. Just sit tight, alright?"

As Spanner got back to work, taking his sweet time with all of the knots in his friend's back, he couldn't help but be attuned to the sounds the other was making. Several times, he had to push Shoichi's hips back down onto the couch, and each time would issue a small moan from his red-headed friend. The young Brit was beginning to contemplate if he should crawl onto Shoichi's back to hold his hips down as he continued his massage, but just the very thought sent a wave of awkwardness through his being, and made a weird, turning feeling fill his stomach. A little disgruntled at the break in his concentration, Spanner tried to refocus his thoughts on the massage, but all he ended up doing was focusing more on the sounds of pleasure Shoichi was making.

When a particularly loud moan escaped the young programmer's lips, Spanner immediately stalled in his actions. To the mechanic's amazement, during this lapse in action, he finally took notice of a little problem of his own. Somehow, and someway (Spanner couldn't figure it out for the life of him), he had become half hard during the massaging process. Baby blue eyes immediately widened as shock overtook his brain, and his hands hovered above his best friend's back as if they were frozen in place. What?

Unable to understand what was going on, and a little frightened, Spanner quickly stood and rubbed the back of his head in a perplexed manner.

"Um…I think I got all the knots out, Shoichi," Spanner muttered quickly as his brain rushed a mile a minute over his surprising physical problem. "I'm a little tired now, so I think I'll go and take a quick nap. You can watch more Star Trek episodes if you want."

And with that, Spanner turned around and headed towards his room. Shutting the door behind him, the young mechanic lay down on his bed in a daze. This was common for massages, right? He had heard plenty of people, misuse and customer alike, getting turned on by massages. It was an intimate form of interaction, after all, and intimate action was something Spanner lacked severely. It was probably because of his pent up frustrations as to why he had gotten a little hard. That was normal for a guy, right?

Deeming this answer satisfactory, Spanner pushed any concerning thoughts to the back of his mind and concentrated on taking a quick nap. With some rest, his little problem would probably go away. Going to the bathroom might have been easier in the long run, but Spanner didn't want to look suspicious. Shoichi was super smart, and he would have figured out why his roommate would have to go to the bathroom right after giving him a massage. Spanner didn't even want to think of the reaction that would get out of Shoichi!

Sighing a little into his pillow at his weird bodily functions (Little Spanner had quite the impeccable timing, he might add), Spanner closed his eyes and fell into light slumber, hoping to forget this awkward ordeal ever happened.

When Spanner pushed his hips back down, the friction it caused was viciously delicious. Shoichi had to bite back a deep moan. His, "knickers" were in a twist; definitely so. His boxers were getting pretty tight around his hardening flesh. Spanner using more force to knead the knots wasn't helping at all. Even though it hurt a bit (which might have helped!), it also moved his body enough to cause new friction.

Soft moans and mewls escaped Shoichi, who was blushing like crazy now. How on earth was he ever going to get out of this situation without dying of embarrassment?

When the pressure grew, he again tried to alleviate it by lifting his hips, only to get pushed down again. The young programmer was absolutely torn. His body wanted Spanner to go on. Every push, rub, and knead felt so good! But his mind feared the consequences. What would Spanner think of him, once he found out?! This was supposed to be a friendly massage, and he was moaning and writhing in pleasure, and nearly cumming! Damn!

Again he tried to stop the delicious friction, only to get pushed down again. With a groan, he felt his boxers get wet with pre-cum. Oh damn! It was so good and so bad at the same time.

It was bad enough that he was hard from Spanner's friendly gesture, but if he really...! And on their couch no less…! Desperately he again raised his hips to stop the chain reaction. Once again, he was pushed back down. It almost undid him, and he moaned like a wanton whore. Shoichi squeezed his eyes shut, and bit his lip. Please, don't!

Suddenly, all action stopped. Spanner muttered something about being tired and rushed from the room. Only when he heard the door to the other's room shut did the programmer dare to breathe again; soft pants that were somewhere between relief and sobbing.

He wished to some higher being that Spanner really was just tired, but he was pretty sure his embarrassing moaning had sent the other from the room in order to not embarrass his friend any more than he had already done himself.

A trembling hand reached for the remote and turned the DVD off. Pretty awkwardly, Shoichi got up from the couch. He stared at Spanner's door. What was he supposed to do? With the pressing problem at hand, he just couldn't think at all. On very awkward tiptoe, he went to the bathroom, opening and closing the door as softly as possible. It took mere seconds to take care of himself in the state he was already in.

His hands on the sink, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He had really embarrassed himself badly before his friend. He felt awful and he looked like it. With some cold water, Shoichi washed his face. As silent as possible, he went to his own room to change his underwear. Sighing, he knew the only thing that might take his mind off things was diving into the world of code and music.

The programmer returned to the living room. Putting on his headphones, he started working on Mini Mosca's understanding of different speech patterns and alternate ways of uttering the same command.

When Spanner opened his eyes again, and glanced at the clock on his night stand, he knew that he had fallen asleep for about a half hour. Sitting up, he tried to flatten the little bit of bed hair he felt back onto his head, but gave up half-way in vain. His hair was so much like Shoichi's sometimes, it was almost comical, but unlike Shoichi, he used hair gel to flatten his unruly curls.

At the thought of his best friend, a wave of awkwardness washed over the young mechanic again. Pushing such thoughts aside, since he already had an explanation for his actions (and Shoichi's, now that he thought about it), the British teen made his way out into the living room where he saw Shoichi with his laptop connected to Mini Mosca, and his headphones covering his ears. Spanner swore he could hear rock music blasting from them.

"Really, Shoichi, you're going to ruin your hearing," Spanner mumbled to himself in concern as he made his way up to his oblivious friend. Sitting down next to him, the blonde-haired teen tapped his red-haired companion on the shoulder, effectively startling him. Letting out a soft chuckle at the weird face he saw Shoichi pull, Spanner tapped his ears to indicate that Shoichi should take his headphones off.

"Hey, what type of programming are you installing now?" He asked without any hint of awkwardness as Shoichi finally took his headphones off. In fact, Spanner didn't see a reason to feel awkward at all. What had happened between him and his friend was normal, considering the circumstances. And, in a strange way, he felt good that he had given such a wonderful massage. Maybe he should be a masseur on the side of his engineering career? Besides, Shoichi didn't know of his own little predicament during that time, so there was no reason to feel embarrassed in front of him. All was good and normal in his world.

When Spanner stayed away longer, Shoichi started to hope his friend really had just been tired. Maybe he hadn't realized what had happened? His fingers flew over the keyboard, tapping away strings of code. He really didn't want things to become awkward between him and his best friend.

Lost in his thoughts, he gave a jerk when he was suddenly touched. He hadn't realized Spanner was right next to him! Wide eyed, he looked up at the other one who was sitting on the couch, while he was on the ground. He could see the mechanic laughing, and felt relieved when he didn't see any sign of awkwardness in him.

He hurried to take off his headphones. "Hm?" Shoichi asked, but got what the other had asked him at that moment. "Oh, I'm just working on Mini Mosca's command recognition."

Spanner acted really natural, like nothing had happened, and Shoichi was just happy to do the same. "I want to get him so far, that he's able to pick out commands from natural speech."

Just a moment later, the mechanic joined him. They spent the rest of the afternoon, and the evening, tinkering and programming. Their only break was a little meal Shoichi insisted on.

Sometime late at night, the red-haired programmer stretched and yawned, "We should really head to bed. Tomorrow, classes start..." Also he needed to get up earlier for his newly implemented morning runs.

Hearing about Shoichi's progress, Spanner felt excited to join him and expand on his own work. The both of them worked late into the night then, with a small food break in-between. Shoichi was able to get his essential programming done, while Spanner was able to finish Mini Mosca's microwave, and add the compartment for the butter he and his friend had talked about. When the night reached its peak, and Shoichi was stretching and yawning, Spanner heeded his friend's advice and decided to head to bed himself, but only after he escorted Shoichi to bed. He didn't want a repeat of the last fiasco.