A/N: I'm not deeeead! Lately I haven't had much inspiration to write, but I've been reading everything GH I could get my hands on. I know the GH tumblr community recently had some interesting events that I really, really wanted to join in, but I'm just so afraid I might not be able to deliver, so I have been refraining from signing up. BUT IT SOUNDS SO FUN. There's so much talent and creativity from everyone! But for now I guess I'll have to smooch off others' hard work and just guiltily read everything.

This is part of the ACS universe, set 5 years after. It will be multichaptered only because I'm deciding to split it up into chapters, but it really is meant to be a 'one-shot'. Hope you guys enjoy the first chapter!

1

The sound of three evenly spaced knocks broke his thread of thought. Before he could mutter out a reply, Lin's head popped in from behind the door and for the second time inquired, "Noll, are you quite sure you've no inclination of coming along? Madoka and I are about to head out for dinner."

Naru lazily shifted his gaze up from his computer screen, which had been the only source of light in the room since he had insisted on installing black-out curtains, and turned to the Chinese man but said nothing. Lin sighed and pushed the door open wider so that he may step inside the dim room and let some light in.

"Those overhead lights aren't just for decoration," Lin suggested.

"A very insightful comment. Have you got more to share?"

"If it's your penny-pinching habits that's making you disinclined to make use of them, then perhaps you should first consider cutting back on your requests for tea. We are practically running the electric stove all day, not to mention the amount of tea leaves you go through in a month. The cost of running the lights are practically a fraction of what it costs to pay your addiction. Additionally, if you consider the damage it does to your eyes-"

Naru pinched the bridge of his nose and abruptly cut in, "-When I asked if you've got more comments, it was sarcasm."

The corner of Lin's mouth curved in a slight smirk. "It seems Yasuhara-san's observation was right: responding with an obliviously calm, long-winded reply is all it takes to shut down your taunting. I must warn you- Taniyama-san was taking notes."

Naru frowned, but thought better against continuing their topic of conversation and instead replied, "I've already said I won't be going. I've still quite a lot of papers to sort through. Besides," he sighed, waving his arm about nonchalantly, "I've really no desire to be the third wheel on your date."

Lin coughed to mask his embarrassment and responded firmly, "I'm not sure what you mean. It isn't a date. Madoka and I are going for dinner together, only because you are unwilling to join us."

"Last night you made a reservation for Tofuya Ukai. I don't recall you asking me about it beforehand and I also cannot imagine you asking any of the irregulars out, so that leaves only Madoka. The setting is rather fancy and expensive, which leads me to believe that this a special occasion and not a spontaneous decision, though the invitation extended to me certainly was and honestly took me by surprise."

"You knew about the reservation?" the man asked incredulously.

"I am not deaf and you're not as covert as you would love to think. I overheard you make the call." He then gave some pause. "I've only realized earlier that in choosing to stay in the office later than usual, I must have introduced some unwanted complications to your plans for tonight. That wasn't my intention, I assure you, and though Madoka loves to proclaim I have no manners, I at least know enough to not want to get in the way of your date."

"You are mistaken- it isn't a date. Why would Madoka and I go on a date?"

"Are you really asking me?" Naru asked with mock incredulity.

Lin seemed uncertain whether or not he should respond to his remark, and Naru could feel a smirk beginning to grace the corners of his own mouth. Apart from teasing Mai, getting the upper hand on Lin was probably his next favorite past-time activity and no matter how much coaching Yasuhara could offer anybody, sooner or later he, Oliver Davis, always got the better hand. He leaned forward on his table and, with a condescendingly straight-forward tone, proceeded to school the older man on the subject of romance no one would have expected him to have much insight on.

"At the beginning of a typical relationship, a couple would usually opt to go out on public excursions together, called a 'date', in order to learn more of each other and begin to form their special bond. Whereas younger people tend to go for a simple lunch at a trendy cafe, older people with more financial security tend to prefer having dinner at a quiet, intimate venue of a fancy establishment. Other possible date activities include a picnic at the beach, visiting theme parks, strolling by the lake, visiting museums, and such other. Eventually as they progress along, the couple may then choose to engage in a much more intimate activity to completely solidify their bond, one that is typically, and hopefully, done on a more private setting. Though I have been told some people see the preliminary activities to be too slow and simply skip to the end, but that thinking seems to be frowned upon by society."

"Are you speaking from experience?" Lin challenged, but Naru pretended to not have heard and blatantly ignored him. Lin sighed and pushed the door slightly closed beside him, enveloping the room in near complete darkness once again. In a low voice he said, "It really is quite remarkable how observant you are, though it's somewhat surprising that it even extends to a keen perception on people's... feelings, given your own detached nature."

Naru rolled his eyes and asked with a cocked eyebrow, "You mean to tell me all this time you were both actually trying to hide your budding relationship? I would have thought you'd know by now how awfully terrible you are at maintaining your cover."

Lin blinked. "Oh? And would you be kind enough as to explain that statement?"

Deciding to humor his guardian (though at twenty-three, he really couldn't stand how his parents still insisted on Lin accompanying him everywhere as if he constantly required any supervision) Naru gave him a tired sigh and replied, "Need I remind you how many times you've almost pre-maturely exposed our identities to the other members with your constant nagging? And how, blinded by your ridiculous soft spot for Mai, you often became careless and made her privy (and by extension the rest of the team) to my personal information? Bou-san and Yasuhara-san were able to piece the facts together thanks to the tidbits of information you've let slip."

Lin silently mouthed 'nagging' in disbelief and felt a mounting annoyance. To be blamed for doing something the git eventually ended up benefiting from. If he hadn't been providing the team little scraps of information that kept them mystified and interested, Noll's sour personality would eventually have made everyone take off (well, probably). The boy should have been thanking him instead! Lin looked at his charge pointedly and retorted, "Let's not be hypocritical here, Noll. We both know you were the first one to get drawn to Taniyama-san and began trusting her with what secrets you felt you could share."

Naru shrugged. "I'm not going to sit here and argue over who accepted her first. It's irrelevant."

Lin suddenly grew solemn and finally admitted with a sigh, "We hoped to keep the nature of our relationship between us for the moment due to the nature of my family's..." but he trailed off, unable to finish the words that were sure to be disrespectful toward his own kin.

"If you want to insist that your relationship with Madoka is strictly platonic then fine, though I fail to see how you think exposing it to the others would complicate your efforts to shield the truth from your ridiculous family," Naru replied with a scoff. "I only wanted to you to know that I was not aware that had been your intention. Perhaps the other members do not suspect anything since they haven't known you both as long as I have, but I hardly think the two of you are as subtle as you believe. Now go and leave; I've got work to do."

"Fine." Lin decided he was going to let the matter rest for now. Though there'd been plenty occasions where his charge's brilliance had astounded him, he was still continually surprised at how nothing ever got past his keen, observant eyes. He'll have to inform Madoka over dinner. "The restaurant is nearby, so we hope we won't be long. What time do you need us back to pick you up?"

"You needn't feel like you have to rush. I've got plenty of work ahead of me. Come get me on your own time."

"I see. Then we'll see you in a couple hours."

Naru didn't bother to reply, and Lin didn't bother to wait for one. As soon as their conversation ended, Lin stepped out of the office and shut the door softly behind him, while Naru re-focused his attention on the computer screen before him. A few minutes later, he heard Madoka's giggle and the sound of the main door being shut.