"And they were roommates!" – KHR-

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Xanxus stifled a groan when the bathroom door opened and his roommate walked out without a towel, likely having forgotten it again.

It's been two weeks since Verde moved into the rooms, and the amount of times he's seen the scientist naked has gone beyond what he could count on two hands. And it's not even on purpose, oh no.

Verde, from what Xanxus could glean, was completely oblivious to his own sensuality. And Xanxus suffered for it.

Damn him and damn this crush he had. Ever since he'd seen Verde casually destroying a person with words, and then burying them, he'd been a goner. It would help, of course, if Verde was a bastard and the sort of person whom crushes died natural deaths. But no, he's the exact kind of prissy, sarcastic asshole that attracted Xanxus.

It was awful.

"Xanxus, have you seen my towel?" Verde asked, bending around the waist to root for his towel, still completely naked and – Xanxus just closed his eyes. He wanted to die.

"It's in mine," he said, voice rough. "You left it on my bed last night, remember?"

"Thanks!" his voice was muffled as he towelled his hair dry. "I have an experiment that needs four hands, want to come help? Reborn doesn't trust me after I burned his eyebrows yesterday."

And here's the other problem.

Before he moved in, Verde was territorial about who he allowed in his labs. Now, however, he's been inviting Xanxus in, asking for help, totally not the usual and it's been ringing alarm bells in his head.

He would totally accept, except the image of Verde in his lab coat was temptation incarnate and he would probably be found buried to his neck if he ever tried anything with his best friend.

So. No. He always refused...

But this time, Xanxus made the mistake of opening his eyes and looking into those pretty purple eyes pleading with him.

"..Yes, I'll come with you. Let me get dressed," he groaned.

Dammit.

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How he ended up manacled to a table leg and being kissed within an inch of his life, Xanxus will never understand.

Okay, so he entered the lab, trying to think of Squalo's disgusting mess of a room to keep from getting an erection. (It was no use. He'd been Pavloved to think of Verde in his lab as hot.)

He'd been asked a question, made to kneel down and then got handcuffed to the table leg. Of course, the kissing happened when Xanxus had asked, "Is this part of an experiment too?"

Verde smiled mischievously. "Yep. The handcuffs are so that you don't punch me."

"Wha - ?" he started, and then the kissing happened.

To be fair, Xanxus would totally not have punched Verde. He would have pinned him down and – oh gods.

"You kissed me back!" Verde said, delighted. His lips are shiny and red and it's doing all sorts of things to Xanxus's brain.

"I've been wanting to kiss you since Middle School, that's not news," he growled out. He pulled at the handcuffs irritably. He wanted to touch.

Verde pursed his lips, looking bemused. "I had one on you since Elementary School. And I asked Squalo, but he was unhelpful. Just kept saying, walk around naked. It didn't work. So I asked Reborn and he said to kiss you and see if you kissed me back, like an experiment."

Xanxus really wanted a free hand right now.

"Uncuff me," he demanded.

Verde did so, meeting Xanxus's eyes and going bright red.

The moment the lock clicked on the last hand, Xanxus twisted his arm and placed the other handcuff on Verde's hand. Now they were cuffed to each other.

"Don't run away," he murmured, lips slowly travelling up his jaw.

Verde was shivering, clinging to Xanxus's shoulders with his free hand. "No plans to."

Xanxus's last thought before Verde destroyed it by climbing into his lap, was that he owed Squalo and Reborn a gift basket each.

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I am the Captain of this Ship. Join me.

Lol, Merry Christmas!