The Dilemma

Summary: One circumstance after another leads to Touma and Seiji being forced to act like a couple.

Rating: T, for now.

Disclaimer: It's not mine!!!!

Warnings: Um... OOCness, yaoi

A/N: It starts a little weirdly but please don't discard it until you've read the first chapter, at least.

.o0o.

A twelve year old Seiji wandered around the picnic tables that were gathered around one side of the school toward his friends, looking exceptionally pleased with himself. Touma stared in shock. He was almost... skipping! Ryo turned to Shuu and whispered, "Is it just me, or is there not a single girl following him today?"

"Wow..." Shuu mumbled. "You're right."

"Okay," Shin said as soon as Seiji had seated himself beside Touma, "Who are you and what have you done with Seiji?"

"I'm an alien invader come to take over this picnic table. Word has spread all across the galaxy about your marvelous cooking and I want YOU to come back to my home planet of Shinnia (we renamed it after you, can't you tell?) so that you can cook for us always. In exchange, we will give you eternal life."

Seiji smirked and stole a piece of sushi from the auburn haired boy while he was still too shocked to react.

Shin finally settled on: "Are you feeling alright?"

"Better than alright. I feel great. Wonderful. Superb."

"What are you on?" asked Ryo, "And where can I get some?"

"Seriously," Touma interrupted. "What happened?"

Seiji's face straightened and he looked almost... sheepish. "I...I managed to dissuade those girls from following me around." By 'those girls,' he meant half the female population of the school. They were always mobbing him in the halls to ask him out. It wasn't that Seiji wanted to talk to them, in fact, quite the opposite. Only his close friends knew about his fear of talking to girls, though. They believed it was probably caused by something in his early childhood with his sisters. But they still mobbed him. It was partly because of his exotic features and partly because he had some sort of aura around him that girls were attracted to.

"Oh." Shuu questioned, "How'd you do that?"

Seiji looked even more uncomfortable. "Um... Well... I, uh, that is... ItoldthemIwasgay."

"Huh." Ryo commented.

Shin didn't look fazed. "Are you?"

"Not that I'm aware of..." The blond lowered his voice, looking around to make sure he wasn't blowing his cover already.

"They're gonna see through that eventually, especially if you don't date anyone." Touma said, thoughtfully.

Seiji ducked his head down and muttered something none of the guys could catch.

"Seiji...?"

"I... uh... got that covered."

"And how did you do that?" Touma said, suspicion creeping into his voice. This was about him somehow, he could feel it. The rest of the group watched their exchange, food forgotten.

"That's a very good question."

"Seiji..." There was warning in the tone.

"It seemed like a good idea at the time..."

"What did you do?"

Seiji refused to look Touma in the eye anymore. "I told them that you... and I... were-"

"Oh no. You didn't. Please tell me that you didn't."

"Sorry, but I don't like to lie."

"Sorry?" Touma repeated. "Now they're gonna beat me up because they think I'm a nerd AND gay."

"No, no, no." Seiji held up a finger. "I thought about this carefully. They won't pick on you at all. Everyone knows I'm president of the kendo club. They'll assume that I'll beat them up if they touch you."

Touma paused for a minute. "This may be true. But if you were thinking about this carefully, why didn't you ask me first?"

"Because... I was just thinking about it. I didn't think I'd actually do it."

"And yet..."

"Spur of the moment."

"Figures. I'm never gonna get a girlfriend this way."

"You weren't getting any girlfriends being straight, either."

"Don't push it or I'll tell all the girls that you're straight."

"Shutting up." Pause. "So, you'll go along with this?"

Touma sighed. "Do I have a choice?"

"Would I tell you if you did?"

"Point taken."

"I'm sorry to interrupt a lovers' quarrel," Ryo grinned mischievously, "but I've got class on the other side of the building. Congratulations on finding each other." With that last comment, he sped away from the table, Touma's carrot barely missing the back of his head.

Shuu stood up and grabbed his things. "Well, I, for one, think that it's a splendid idea. Seiji gets rid of his tail and Touma gets rid of his bullies. Not so sure your parents'll like it so much, Sage."

"With a bit of luck, they won't find out. And if they do, I'll just tell them the truth; we're pretending for our mutual benefit."

Touma had his head against the table and was muttering under his breath. The word mutual was thrown in there several times. Shuu sloppily saluted the group and pranced away.

"What I think Touma might not have noticed," Shin began, "And you've been so kind to neglect mentioning is what this job might involve. Saying you're going out is one thing but if you wanna get rid of those girls for more than a day, you might need to act like you're going out. You should hold hands and (dare I say it?) possibly kiss a couple times."

Shin found himself gleeful at Seiji's incredibly uncomfortable shifting and wiggling and Touma's open-mouthed stare. Both expressions were rarely found on the two. And Shin continued to pretend that he'd said nothing out of the ordinary. The bell rang.

"Well, good luck. I've got to get to class." He left the table abnormally fast as well.

Seiji finally looked at Touma. "You don't have to do this."

Touma shook his head slowly. "What are friends for if not to cover your ass?"

"Thanks," the blond gathered his stuff and looked around thoughtfully. "Word travels fast; the whole school probably has heard what I said by now. Or, some rendition of it."

Touma shrugged and slid his hand around Seiji's. "It'll be alright." Seiji squeezed his hand.

.o0o.