Strictly Business

Oneshot

"Kaichou, I need your professional opinion about something..."

Nokoru looked up from his paperwork and fixed his secretary with an icy cold glare. "If this is about personal matters, it can wait till after class hours."

Suoh raised an eyebrow in response. "It IS after class hours. Besides,you told me that when we are at work you'd take anything I'd bring to you in a 'strictly business' manner...that includes personal issues."

His chairman put his pen down and folded his hands on top of his current document. Summer blue eyes fixed tiger gold ones with a steady gaze.

"Well, you're a surprise today. I didn't think personal matters would be more important to you than paperwork."

The blue-haired ninja was taken aback by the casual sarcasm in the reply and made effort to stop himself from slamming his hand down on Nokoru's desk to emphasize, "There are a lot of things more important than paperwork."

The blonde leant back in his swivel chair and motioned for the boy to sit down, "Strictly business speaking?"

"Strictly business speaking, of course," said Suoh, obliging to the request. Once he settled himself, he didn't quite know how to start.

"What is it?" Nokoru prompted, noticing the boy's unease.

Strictly business, the bluenette told himself and shut his eyes, imagining he was talking to a complete stranger. When he opened them again, he quickly found his words.

"I have a boyfriend," he began in a matter-of-factly tone. "But as of now, we aren't together. Our relationship is on and off, and it's mostly because of his fault."

Nokoru nodded, posing like a very good psychiatrist. "And why would that be?"

Suoh sighed. "Not many people like our relationship. My boyfriend cares a lot about his reputation and what the public thinks of him so he constantly has his guard up. We rarely get any moments together. When we do, I get shy... and he gets demanding that I show my more than friendly feelings for him. I stay quiet because I was never good in handling what I felt. When I DO show him affection, though, it's quite...in public so we are in restraint and it annoys him."

The bluenette paused for a moment, half-immersed in reminisce. "He desperately needs me one minute and pushes me away the next. He has the most outrageous and confusing mood swings that leave me hanging in the air most often than not. When he breaks up then gets back with me, I usually don't care but now it's getting tiring and this is serious because I think our relationship is bordering on superficial if my boyfriend doesn't drop his entourage and love me outright. I feel like I'm some showdog on a leash he gets to drag around, cuddle and scold all in the span of half a minute! Admit that isn't fair for me, is it, kaichou?"

The blonde obediently nodded, not wanting to slow the younger boy's momentum. "Nope. No, not fair at all."

"I have feelings too and I know what I'm being trampled on," Suoh continued. "Despite that, I really DO deeply care about him...more than he could possibly know and hear from me. I'm worried about him because he is driving himself sick with all his little assumptions. I don't understand why he's actively trying to ruin our relationship when simple promblems can be easily overcome by just...talking, I guess. Oh, what's your advice, kaichou?"

The expression on Nokoru's face had softened and he was slow to answer.

"Your...your boyfriend may have a lot of things in his head. You're right that he's got school matters bothering him and a reputation to keep and because these are exhausting things, he needs his relationship like a husband returning home after a long day's hard work."

"So that's it? I'm a housewife? I have no significance?"

"I didn't say that, Suoh. It's far from that."

"What about the mood swings and the break-ups?"

"He is scared. He may not exactly be well-versed in relationships like these; he desperately wants yours to work. You've got to understand him--"

"I try, kaichou! I DO try but he never seems to be satisfied. When we're alone, he demands that he say I love him. When I show him affection, he calls me inopportune."

"Perhaps by your lack of words, he is unsure that you really love him. He needs reassurance now and then because he doesn't have an eye on you all day."

"Reassurance?" Suoh had thrown his composure to the dogs and was standing. "Am I not enough? Doesn't he trust me enough to know that I love him no matter what? Instead, he's being this self-absorbed Jerk and I am...I am starting to doubt our relationship."

Suoh was staring at Nokoru who's eyes were now downcast. Fear than flashed across summer blue eyes went unseen.

"All you have to do it talk, " the blonde said quietly. "It's alright if you fumble about your feelings. After all, when you two get your time alone, you ARE alone and baring yourself isn't something to be afraid of. Neither of your have to be perfect all the time."

His chairman looked up to meet his eyes. "Your relationship is new and this bumpy ride is normal, I suppose. It's just a matter of choice whether you'd like to keep it or not at this stage. In my professional opinion, read between your boyfriend's erratic behavior. More often than not, you wouldn't understand him thinking but stick to him. Everything will work out, you'll see. Like you, you don't know how much you mean to him."

Tiger gold eyes widened slightly as they saw the raw emotion behind the words.

"If you let him go, you never know that might just be the end of his world. It'll be a mistake he'll keep blaming himself for. He'll be forever buried under a pile of depression and self pity if you back out on him now. This is love you're talking about and it is never fair. I advise you and your boyfriend to skip the logic and be honest. Whatever you do, don't let your relationship waste away. It will be a mistake you will surely regret."

Suoh stared for a few moments with a frown on his face, still partly in the after-effects of his ranting. When his kaichou's message sank in, he bowed stiffly.

"Thank you, Nokoru. Thank you very much."

Nokoru watched the bluenette return to his council duties before turning back to his own paperwork and found he could not carry on.

The light of the dying sun painted CLAMP Campus with a fiery red orange glow.

Takamura Suoh was waiting for his boyfriend at the open basketball court. Footsteps soon caught his attention and a familar voice spoke.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Suoh. I hope you've come to give me another chance. I...I know now."

The ninja closed his eyes and let out a huff of amusement before opening them again and walking over to the other boy.

"I wouldn't be able to possibly fathom how and when I'd stop caring for you. So...are we official again?"

Imonoyama Nokoru broke into a brilliant, teary smile and captured his boyfriend's lips in an eager 'yes'.

END

A/N: Forgive typos! Questions shall be entertained when ye review! ...enjoy!xD and ciAo...