Missing target

To be perfectly honest, Oga didn't really like University. At all. He could see why the kind of people like Furuichi would feel happy in this sort of place, and in his heart of hearts he knew his best friend belonged in this environment, but as far as Oga was concerned this was not the case for him.

Never mind the fact that there were hardly any delinquents in campus, since if Oga really wanted to blow some steam he could just wander on the streets for a few minutes and a fight would invariably find him, but the teachers in this place even had the nerve to expect him to quiet down during class, of all things! Wasn't the fact that he was attending enough?

Sure, it was not like he was actually a registered student, but—

"Hey, Oga, come on. Class is over."

"Huh? Already?"

And sure enough, nearly everyone around him had already filed out the door, eager to get home and enjoy their well-deserved weekend. Furuichi was the only one standing still, tapping his foot impatiently and waiting for Oga to get moving.

"Yeah, even the teacher has left already. Can we go now?"

It's not like they were in a hurry to get home or anything, but Oga knew it was the principle of it. As far as Furuichi was concerned, Oga was probably just stalling to tick him off.

"What? You running late for a date, Furuchin?"

Beel giggled in delight when Furuichi slapped Oga's shoulder in response.

"You were quiet today" Furuichi said a bit later as they walked towards the main gate. "You stayed up all night playing that game, didn't you?"

"Not my fault Beel got obsessed with Pokémon" Oga said as Beel yawned on cue on top of his head. "And besides, I didn't fall asleep. I was just thinking, idiot."

"You? Thinking? Well, that's a surprise."

Oga huffed in mock indignation but didn't say anything. It's not like that wasn't true anyway.

"Well, whatever you were doing you should probably try it again. The teacher seemed glad you weren't making any ruckus for once."

"Don't know what he's talking about, I'm always a delight."

It had been over six months since Oga had started 'attending' classes –and it took only one week to shut down any complaints– but Furuichi suspected his teachers would never get used to Oga completely. It could've been worse; he could've gotten in trouble for being associated with a delinquent who was adamant about entering a building where he wasn't even a student, and worst of all, even had the nerve to show up at some of the classes! But after Oga had gone with every single one of his teachers to 'explain himself properly', none of them complained again, even if they would send Oga's nervous looks every now and then in the subsequent weeks.

The official explanation seemed to be that Oga just wanted to 'spend time with his friend', as per the words of one of his classmates who was also curious about Oga's presence; but whenever Furuichi questioned Oga about it, he always said he was there because he had nothing better to do anyway.

Some things never changed.

"So what are we doing today?" Oga asked as Furuichi's house came into view a while later. "You bought the new smash game ages ago, are we finally playing it?"

"Well, actually, I have an exam coming up on Monday so I'll be busy for most of the weekend – except for today, obviously!" Furuichi added as he caught sight of Beel's grimace. "Today we can play as much as you want, Baby Beel."

The mood shift was instantaneous, and Furuichi couldn't help sighing in relief as Beel celebrated in top of Oga's head. Having to be electrocuted aside, Furuichi did feel a little bad about not being able to hang out with Oga as much during the past two weeks, not to mention that he had been surprisingly patient while he had been studying for his exams. So now that there was only one left (and the easiest subject, best of all), Furuichi felt it was due time to celebrate by playing video games.

So when they opened the door to Furuichi's room and found the members of the Pillar Squad inside, he was understandably taken aback.

"Ah, the General has finally arrived."

"Furuichi-kun~! How good to see you again!"

"Oi, tactician, we ran out of cake. Don't you have something else to offer?"

Furuichi had to blink twice before being reassured that the surreal scene in front of him –demons messing about in his room, talking amongst each other and playing with his Wii V– was in fact real. As Agiel enthusiastically jumped towards him to greet him with a hug, Furuichi remembered that the last time he had talked to Hecadoth when he ran into him at a restaurant, he had mentioned they wanted to drop by for a visit. And while Furuichi told him it'd have to be after at least two weeks, he didn't think Hecadoth was actually serious…

But now seeing Laymia and Naga debating about the battlefield value of learning the healing arts while they perused over Furuichi's books, he could tell Hecadoth was definitely not joking.

"What's up, Furuichi? We've been waiting all day so we could play together!" Agiel said as she let go but kept her arms around his neck. Oga appeared to have deemed the conversation uninteresting and took off to where Jabberwock and two of his underlings where currently playing Mario Kart.

"Er, hi." Furuichi tried to ignore the tingling sensation of Agiel's fingers brushing against his nape. "How did you guys even get in?"

"Your sister let us in! We told her we were your friends and she said we could wait in your room~!"

Great, another reason for Honoka to think Furuichi was a freak. She had only recently forgiven him from the Lamia incident and now this happened. That was probably why there was no one in the house when Oga and he arrived.

"Ah, I'm sorry I kept you waiting then." Agiel finally withdrew and Furuichi sighed in relief. It was easier to smile naturally when she wasn't draping over him like a human shawl. "I was actually planning to play videogames with Oga and Beel today, though, but if you don't mind joining us–"

The little group in front of the TV chose that exact moment to roar in excitement as a car crashed to its death and Oga laughed maniacally at the screen.

"We don't mind." Hecadoth said somewhere to his right and Furuichi involuntarily jumped; he had materialized next to Furuichi without him noticing at some point. "If that's what you want to do, then we can play."

At this point the other demons had gathered around the TV to see what the fuss was all about, and Agiel was already skipping to where Jabberwock was playing, loudly demanding that she was next as soon as he died. They seemed like they were having fun. Even Oga, who was usually indifferent towards the squad, was gleefully cackling at the defeat of his opponent, clearly enjoying himself.

Hecadoth raised an eyebrow in a silent question, Well, aren't you coming? And Furuichi sighed in what he pretended to be exasperation, but it was fond more than anything. He sat next to Oga thinking that he would have to wake up earlier tomorrow to make up for the lost time tonight. But as Naga passed him a control after Oga booted up Smash, with the squad congregated behind him and cheering for his victory, he decided it wouldn't be so bad.

It had been a chilly night so far. It didn't seem like the sun had been up in the sky just two hours ago, what with the speed the temperature had decreased in just that time. Anyone who might have been hiding behind some bushes and spying the house just across the street would not be having a nice time; but the demon Zera didn't particularly mind. They had been entrusted with a top secret mission and they wouldn't let the weather get in the way of it.

"Brother," Zera addressed his partner beside him. "Have you seen anything yet?"

Zera's brother, Hanzo, adjusted the binoculars around his neck before answering "No. There seems to be some kind of party happening inside, but the curtains are still drawn shut."

Zera looked through his own binoculars and made a humming noise in response, thinking.

"Perhaps there is something we could do to call their attention?" he ventured. "Such as tapping on their window and hiding under it before they can see us, or ring their doorbell and run before they open it?"

Hanzo finally let his binoculars rest against his chest and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "There is certainly value to be considered in your first idea, brother. We've been stationed here for nearly five hours now, I believe it's time to change our strategy."

"Agreed. Let us move forward then."

So they slithered through the completely empty street to reach the house that, according to their intel, was the place where Beelzebub IV and his Royal Contractor would spend the night the most often. As they crouched behind the window on the second floor, they could clearly hear the sounds of a gathering taking place, with laughter, enthusiastic yelling and the occasional blood-curling scream coming from inside. Hanzo and Zera positioned themselves strategically under the windowsill where they could make a hasty retreat to the bushes a few feet away from them, made a quick check to be sure no one was watching them, and when they confirmed the coast was clear, Hanzo took a small pebble and threw it against the window.

"Hey, Furuichi! What is this?"

Furuichi had just put his control down to go get more snacks when Agiel motioned him to come over to her little group, holding a book in her hand.

"Ah, that's one of my anatomy books," Furuichi said as he arrived and took a closer look to the page she was reading. "For college," he added as Agiel shot him a confused expression before lighting in recognition.

"Oh! Laymia-chan was right, then! You really are studying the healing arts! As expected of the general!"

"Yeah, I'm studying medicine," Furuichi said sheepishly as Hecadoth and Laymia beside them nodded in approval. "I thought it was interesting and I'm already used to dealing with injuries, so–"

Other demons who had gotten tired of being defeated by Oga had started to approach them as well, asking if it was true that Furuichi had plans to become a healer, but Furuichi got distracted by a tap on… his window? Surely not, they were on the second floor. But he was sure he had heard something; maybe more members from the squad had arrived and landed on the roof?

"Furuichi?" Hecadoth asked as he turned to the direction he was facing. "Is something wrong?"

"No, but – did you hear something just now?"

Hecadoth arched an eyebrow in response and marched towards the window, drawing the curtains back.

"There's nothing out here," he declared to his reflection in the glass. "But if there are intruders, it's possible that they're hiding. Should I inspect the perimeter around the house as well?"

"Ah, no, it's fine. I probably just imagined it–"

"Furuichi-kun! Come here, this is one of your books too, right? What's this one about?"

Outside of the house, the pair of demon agents had successfully managed to go back to their original hiding spot undetected. And as they put on their binoculars to analyze the situation, they gleefully noted the curtains left open.

"Look, brother! The fools have lowered their guard and left an ample view of their headquarters!"

"Indeed! Let us make haste before they realize their own incompetence! What do you see, brother?"

Hanzo carefully raised his head from the bushes and, double checking the coast was clear as Zera ceremoniously adjusted his binoculars.

He gasped in surprise. "Amazing! At least half of Behemoth's 34 Pillar Division must be inside! Our information was most certainly correct!"

"But what of the young prince and his human?"

"I can see them! They seem to be enjoying an entertainment center of sorts, the fools. It's no small wonder our presence has gone undetected!"

"Yes, I see them as well!" Hanzo said as he put on his own binoculars. "And the description fits perfectly. We must retreat now to report back to–"

"Brother, wait!" Zera exclaimed as he raised his hand and pointed towards a corner of the room. "There is another human, do you see him? And nearly all of the squad is crowded around him and listening to him as he speaks! Surely this is the Royal Contractor we're looking for, if he's surrounded by demons?"

"Very true! That brute playing on his own with the prince must be nothing but a babysitter."

"So how shall we proceed? Should we report back to the base?"

"Not yet, brother. If the Royal Contractor is around this amount of demons, not even we will be able to hold them off on our own. "

"I'm sad to say I agree. Let us retreat and formulate a plan then, brother."

They put their binoculars away and triple checked that the coast was clear one last time –unnecessary as everyone inside the Royal Contractor's house was solely concentrated on him and nothing else– before rolling a small sphere in the ground. A small huff of smoke surrounded their figures, and they disappeared.

Four hours, a hole on his wall, and many heartfelt goodbyes and promises to see him later, Furuichi collapsed on top of his bed, exhausted.

"About fucking time."

Unsurprisingly Oga had been doing nothing but play the entire time, regardless of whether he had a playing partner or not.

"I thought they would never leave."

"Dah!"

"Not thanks to you," Furuichi grumbled against his pillow. "Did you have to be playing the whole damn time? You just kept on riling them up, Oga. They could've left two hours ago if not for that."

"Well, so much for being professional."

Furuichi sighed against his pillow again, too tired to try to argue any further.

"Are you staying the night?"

"Yeah, it's getting pretty late anyway. And I had already told Hilda I wouldn't come home; she said she didn't mind looking after Nico on her own."

"Don't just invite yourself to other people's houses, bastard."

"I'm spending the weekend here too, by the way."

"You what?!"

A few miles away, in a super-secret base that was most certainly not an abandoned warehouse, a pair of demon brothers went over their strategy one last time.

"Everything is ready for the plan tomorrow, brother."

"Excellent. Let us take our designated stations and proceed. Tomorrow, we take the Royal Contractor down."

It was during the early hours of Sunday morning that Oga felt it again. The sensation that someone was watching him.

He craned his neck towards the clock in the wall: 4 am. Furuichi had fallen asleep at some point during the night, his head resting over the book he had been reading when Oga went to sleep nearly six hours ago. Apart from him and Beel, who was still sleeping beside him, there was no one else in the room.

So what the fuck was going on.

"Ugh, Oga, keep it down. It's too early for you to get into Mad Dog mode already."

Ah, did he say that out loud?

"Whatever. Go back to sleep, Furuichi. I need to go outside to check something."

"Huh?"

He wouldn't go far, so it was okay to leave Beel in the room. He just wanted to make sure there was nothing weird going on. The outside of the house seemed bare, at least, and Oga didn't detect any sort of demonic energy from the vicinity.

Maybe Furuichi had a stalker?

Still, Oga couldn't shake off the weird feeling in his gut. He had felt vaguely uneasy on Friday; but he had thought that was a premonition of sorts to the Pillar Squad that greeted them later that day. Come Saturday morning, however, the feeling had only intensified instead of leaving. Today wasn't any better.

Maybe he should wake up Beel for a better scouting of the area.

"Hey, Oga, what the hell are you doing? It's freezing outside! Get your ass back in here!"

Oga turned to the window from where Furuichi was yelling, looking a little more awake but wearing an exasperated expression. He had bags under his eyes, but he didn't seem concerned in the least. He was good at sensing demonic power too, wasn't he? Or something about being able to channel demonic power easily. Same thing, really. So he should be able to notice if there was something wrong, right?

"Furuichi," Oga started once he was laying on his futon again. "You haven't felt anything weird these days?"

Furuichi, who was busy drying off the drool that had gotten to the books he used as a pillow and was still struggling with staying awake, took a few seconds before answering.

"Weird? Like what?" Furuichi instantly recalled the time he thought someone was tapping on his window, but he doubted that was what Oga was talking about. He was pretty sure he had hallucinated that, anyway. "I haven't felt anything."

Well, it's not like he had expected him to, since he didn't seem worried, but Oga frowned at his answer anyway. He turned to his side to make himself comfortable, feeling slightly irritated. Maybe it was him, maybe playing Pokémon all day had messed with his head.

"Never mind. Just don't stay up all night again, dumbass."

The exam on Monday morning was a breeze and Furuichi was confident he had done well. Upon relaying the news to Oga, who had been waiting outside of the classroom the whole time, he gave his signature grunt of approval before promptly asking if they could go get some croquettes already.

"The pillars are coming today again, aren't they? I wanna eat something before they get to your place."

Upon learning that Furuichi had been doing nothing but studying the last few weeks, Hecadoth had declared that the completion of Furuichi's tests should be celebrated by throwing a party on Monday afternoon; and even though Furuichi sincerely appreciated their efforts, he worried about the edibility of the 'roasted tavuk' they were planning on bringing today.

"Yeah, me too, I just have to go meet my professor real quick and then we'll go."

And even though Oga said he didn't mind waiting, Furuichi wasn't sure how long it'd take for him to finish with his meeting, so he assured Oga it would be fine if he went ahead.

"They always run out of croquettes less than an hour after they open, so you might as well go buy them on your own. I'll see you later at my place."

Oga paid no mind to the feeling of unease that had refused to budge from his gut since Friday night and left, with Beel singing a nonsensical tune at the top of his head, excited at the prospect of food and the party tonight.

Neither of them had foreseen the fight that would happen just in a couple of hours. And even if they had known, they wouldn't have celebrated it.

"Brother, behold! The Royal Contractor has finally been left to his own devices!"

"Yes! This is our chance, brother! Let us strike now as he unwisely wanders on his own!"

Furuichi sneezed. It had been cold the last couple of days, but he didn't think he was getting sick, even with the whole lack of sleep thing he was experiencing. Maybe a nice pair of girls were gossiping about him, wondering if they should ask Furuichi on a date for Christmas next week. Yes, that was probably it.

His teacher's office was on one of the most secluded areas on campus, so even though classes weren't over yet he wasn't surprised to see he was the only one coming out of the building. And Furuichi's exhaustion was finally catching up to him, making his step lower and his head just a little light-headed. So as he was daydreaming about the croquettes that were waiting for him at home, he couldn't anticipate the blow to his head that got him from behind; and when he fell to the ground, unconscious, no one was around to help him.

Oga had been waiting for a measly half hour when the Pillar Squad came crashing down Furuichi's room, bodies falling on top of each other because of the proximity of the demon portal to the floor. Oga watched, bemused, as the demons yelled profanities and threats at each other until they were finally disentangled from one another. The 'party supplies' and even presents they had brought, Oga noticed, were miraculously unscathed.

"Oga Tatsumi," Laymia addressed him politely as she deliberately blocked his view from the TV. "We have arrived. Where is the General?"

"Too early," Oga said as he craned his neck to get a better view at the screen. "He said he had something to do before coming home. He hasn't arrived yet."

"Whaaat?" Agiel wailed as she jumped down next to Laymia, effectively blocking Oga's attempt to watch the newest Rice-kun episode. "That can't be right! He wasn't at his college campus either! So he must be here!"

Oga was just about to physically move the two demons from their spot when Agiel's words caught his attention. "Wait, what do you mean he wasn't at campus?"

"Exactly what she said. We were meaning to surprise him, so we had the squad patrolling from the sky, and there was no sign that Furuichi was there." Laymia explained, arching an eyebrow as she took on Oga's bemused expression. "So he must be here."

"Well, he's not," Oga said now frowning. "You must have missed him on your way here."

Agiel's face suddenly reflected Oga's inner turmoil.

"Ai?" Beel questioned from Oga's lap, perhaps sensing it as well.

"Very well. If he's on his way, then he should be arriving in a few minutes."

Five minutes after their conversation, the various pillars that had arrived spread themselves around the house to start getting everything ready.

Twenty minutes after their conversation, Oga could not focus on what was on the TV anymore, staring at a blank spot on the wall just a few inches above it.

Thirty minutes after their conversation, everyone started to grow restless, pacing around the house without much to do but comparing gift sizes –and subsequently picking fights– and wondering why Furuichi was taking so long. Oga tried calling his cellphone twice, but Furuichi never picked it up.

One hour after their conversation, Oga and the Pillar Squad left the house and split up in different groups to look for the missing tactician.

When Furuichi woke up the first thing he noticed was that he had a splitting headache. He felt as though he had been hit from behind with a metal pole, which judging by the throbbing on the back on his head, was probably the case.

The second thing he noticed as he tried to assess the damage was that he couldn't move his hands, or his feet for that matter. Further inspection led him to conclude that they were, in fact, bound by some kind of metallic cord, if his sight was to be believed, but the room he was in was not particularly well lit. He looked up to see his surroundings, which was nothing but a gray, bare and wide space, hoping that some kind of answer would present itself regarding his current predicament.

And then, it dawned on him.

Oh.

Oh no.

Oh, for fuck's sake.

Furuichi started thrashing against his binds, cursing and grunting profanities under his breath, because there was no fucking way this was happening. It had to be a terrible joke, there was no other explanation; because surely not, after so many years, surely he hadn't been kidnapped again, had he?

The silence in the abandoned room seemed to be mocking him in response. But Furuichi was having none of this shit.

"Hello!?" Furuichi yelled at the room at large, not quite managing to hide the frustrated tone in his voice. "Mr. Kidnapper!? Listen, I don't know what exactly you're trying to do here, but I already had plans for today. So if you would please let me go and save me the trouble of–"

"Be silent, captive!"

Out of nowhere, what had to be the strangest pair of demons Furuichi had ever seen had descended from the roof in a swift, almost choreographed motion, landing next to each other with perfect synchronization and striking what seemed to be an intimidating motion at the same time.

"What the– How long had you been waiting up there!? Did you actually practice that!?

"I said silence! You are now at the mercy of Zera and Hanzo, the magnificent! Demon soldiers under the leadership of the glorious Solomon 56th faction of–"

"SHUT THE HELL UP! I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR LIFE STORY! I WANT TO KNOW WHY THE HELL I AM HERE AND IF IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH OGA I SWEAR TO GOD–"

Furuichi gasped in pain as something like an electric current suddenly made its way up his leg and paralyzed it, rendering him speechless. He realized with a start that the binds at his ankles and wrists were not just placed to limit his movement, but to neutralize it completely if needed.

This might just be the most dangerous pair of idiots he had encountered in a long time.

"Are you willing to listen now, captive? There's no need to be so hasty, as we assure you you're not going anywhere."

"If you truly must know, we're currently waiting for our transportation to arrive, as we had to take several precautions to transport the Royal Contractor to the Demon World, you see. So if you would be so kind as to remain quiet, Contractor, we can guarantee your comfort for the rest of the evening. Good day."

And then they disappeared in a puff of smoke, presumably to station themselves somewhere above the roof again.

Ten whole seconds after their departure, Furuichi was still gaping.

No way. No fucking way. This had to be the stupidest misunderstanding of all time, but there was no other logical explanation. He knew that, but Furuichi still couldn't wrap his mind around it.

These pair of demons actually thought that HE was Beel's contractor? Had they seriously mistaken him for Oga!?

And Furuichi was so mad, so angry at the stupidity of it all, that he couldn't help but just blame Oga for the whole thing.

"OGA, YOU FUCKING MORON!"

"THE FUCK DID YOU CALL A MORON YOU DUMBASS FURUICHI!"

Furuichi hadn't been expecting a reply, but he would be lying if he said he didn't figuratively welcome it with open arms – because, you know, his hands were still tied.

That had to be the shortest, underwhelming, and most importantly, idiotic kidnapping in Furuichi's entire life. And the fact that he could actually say that sentence without a hint of a joke was just sad, to be honest.

Hanzo and Zera, the magnificent, did not stand a chance against Oga. The second he had blasted through a wall and made his entrance, the pair of demons had swiftly landed on the ground again, warning the newcomer that if he treasured his life it would be best for him to leave now; only to have their heads buried five feet in concrete 0.5 seconds later. And when they tried to make a strategic retreat as Oga untied Furuichi, barely a second later the Pillar Squad came crashing down the roof, reburying them twenty feet under the ground.

Before long Furuichi was on his feet and surrounded by all the pillars that weren't busy arresting the pair of idiotic brothers, fussing over his well-being and asking him over and over if he was okay.

And as Furuichi assured them many times, he was completely fine. His leg didn't hurt anymore and he could move it again, although he needed help getting back to the house, at which point several of the pillars fought amongst themselves for the honor of carrying Furuichi back, before Oga finally lost his patience and announced he would do it.

"We will have to postpone our celebration, unfortunately," Hecadoth said in front of the portal that was waiting for his departure. After many heartfelt well-wishes the Pillar Squad had left, and he was the only one left. "It seems that these demons in question, while most definitely pathetic, belong to the Solomon group which we had thought had been completely restrained. It is possible that they were lying, but this will require an investigation anyway." And then, as an afterthought, "Sorry."

"Ah, don't worry about it. If you guys need me to give a declaration or something just call me."

"Yes, but not today. That injury should not be serious, but it's best that you rest right now."

Hecadoth shot Oga a pointed glance, as though daring him to make Furuichi run around or something as soon as they got home. He then nodded towards Furuichi, dismissing himself, and left through the portal.

"Finally. I thought they would never leave."

Oga was not amused by the number of times he had to say that just in the last three days.

The walk back home was uneventful, with Oga remaining silent the whole time and even Beel being uncharacteristically quiet, save for some weird sounds he'd do occasionally that almost sounded like exasperated huffs. Furuichi for his part preferred to stay quiet as well. It had been a long day and recent events only served to exhaust him further. By the time they reached his house, he had almost fallen asleep.

"Furuichi." Oga finally said once they were back inside his room. "I'm spending the night again."

It was not a statement open for suggestions, but this time Furuichi didn't mind. It was not like he was scared by the whole ordeal, but he definitely preferred company at the moment. Getting kidnapped was not exactly something you could get used to, even after so many years.

"Hey," Oga called him again after they had settled into their respective beds, Beel's soft snore filling the air. "Sorry about today."

The apology came so suddenly it caught Furuichi by surprise, almost dispelling the state of sleep he was falling into and making his head amazingly clear for a few moments; because even if at the time he was more than willing to blame things on Oga, it's not like he actually meant it. So he said,

"It's not your fault, Oga." A heavy silence fell between them, like it always did when something like this happened. But this time Oga had more to say.

"I know." He seemed to be struggling with something. "But I am sorry, anyway. And I'm sorry too, about last time."

Furuichi correctly guessed that 'last time' meant none other than the time Takamiya used him as bait, when he almost died, when he got to see his own living, beating heart pulsing in front of him–

"I never blamed you, Oga." Furuichi forced himself to say before his brain went to places he definitely didn't want to revisit that night. "But… Thank you."

He could see Oga nodding to himself in the darkness, as though accepting his response, before rolling on his side and quickly falling asleep; and Furuichi followed him not too long after that, falling into a peaceful, dreamless sleep himself.

The next day Furuichi's family finally came back from their impromptu vacation, greeting their son and congratulating him for completing his last round of exams. They were confused about the amount of presents under their Christmas tree, courtesy from the Pillar Squad of course, not that they were supposed to know; but Oga stepped in to say that he decided Furuichi could use some nice presents this year, no need to thank him, and wasn't he lucky he had such a good friend?

Typical from the Mad Dog; to take credit when it didn't belong to him at all. But as Furuichi laughed with ease at Oga's ridiculous remarks of how amazing his presents were, he was surprised to realize that the events of last night, however anxious, are certainly not a bad memory either. Oga caught his gaze and smirked at him in return, as though he could tell exactly what Furuichi was thinking of. And this time he was glad to say some things never changed.

Note: This was a piece I wrote for a Secret Santa exchange on tumblr and I thought I'd share it here as well. As for my other fics, I have no excuse, I'm really sorry for the delay everyone; but even if it kills me I will finish them someday.