"I can't believe Manjoume teased me about never having been kissed! I mean, really? I bet he's never been kissed either! After all, who would want to put their mouth anywhere near his with all the shit that it's constantly spewing?" Judai sighed. Shou had been ranting about this for the last twenty minutes. It was starting to get annoying.

Unfortunately, Shou and he were the only ones in the dorm room at the moment. Kenzan had left earlier to go to the hot springs, so, when Shou had stormed into the room in rage, Judai alone had been tasked with trying to soothe him. However, after several failed attempts, he had settled down onto his bed and had begun to skim through a magazine. He had been perfectly content to let Shou burn himself out.

Besides, it wasn't as though he could understand why Shou's pride was so wounded by Manjoume's jabs. He couldn't understand it any more than he could understand why Manjoume would target what seemed to Judai like an insignificant fact.

Why did it matter whether or not Shou had been kissed? Why were they both making such a big deal out of it? Did it feel good? Was that why people were so obsessed with it? Judai couldn't help but wonder about the answers to these questions. He had never been kissed either, but, to be fair, he had never really wondered about it or had any interest in it.

At least, before now.

Judai glanced surreptitiously towards where Shou sat at one of the desks, still grumbling about what Manjoume had said. He quickly turned his eyes back on the magazine as Shou swiveled in his chair to face him. Vaguely, Judai realized that Shou was going off on another rant, but none of his words registered.

"Why do you care?" He asked abruptly, interrupting Shou mid-sentence. Surprised, Shou fell silent.

"W-What do you mean?" He finally managed. Laying his magazine down on his lap, Judai gazed at him evenly.

"Why do you care about what Manjoume says?" Shou flushed, struggling for words.

"I care because it's embarrassing!" He said indignantly, rising from his chair.

"Why?" Judai shot back.

"W-What?" Again, Shou seemed dumbfounded.

"Why is it embarrassing? What's it matter whether or not you've been kissed?" Judai asked earnestly. He saw Shou falter.

"It-It matters because…" Shou couldn't seem to form a response. Judai grimaced, frustrated. He wanted answers.

"Shou, come here." Judai ordered suddenly. Shou hesitated, uncertain.

"Why?" He asked and Judai almost growled.

"Just come here." Judai demanded, enunciating each word slowly. Cautiously, Shou obeyed, coming to stand right in front of Judai's bed.

As soon as he had stepped within arm's reach, Judai grabbed hold of Shou's shirt. Dragging Shou down to his level, Judai placed a hand at the base of his neck and used it as leverage to pull him in.

When their lips met, Judai found it to be a pleasant enough sensation. However, it wasn't particularly outstanding or mindblowing. Just as Judai was beginning to wonder if he was missing something, if there was some trick to it that he wasn't aware of, Shou jerked out of his grasp.

For a moment, they just stared at each other.

"Why...Why did you do that?" Shou asked, his voice deathly quiet. Judai could see the confusion in his eyes, could feel it mirrored in his own expression.

"I...don't know." Judai admitted. Why had he done it? He may have wanted answers, but there were other ways to get them.

"You don't know?" Shou repeated slowly, his voice becoming colder with each word. Judai could practically see him withdrawing, closing himself off. Suddenly realizing that what he had just done could potentially ruin his friendship with Shou, Judai felt cold fear grip his heart.

"No, but...it didn't mean anything!" Judai said desperately. He needed to fix this situation, to make it so that they could go back to being friends.

However, Shou seemed to recoil at his words, taking a few steps away from him. Turning his back on Judai, he headed for the door.

"Shou, where are you going?" Judai jumped up from his bed, wanting to do something, anything, to keep Shou from leaving.

"I think I'm going to stay in the Ra dorm tonight." Before Judai could say anything, Shou left.

The sound of the door shutting left Judai feeling cold and empty and he stared at it despondently. He hoped that, for whatever reason, Shou would walk back into the dorm room and give Judai another chance to talk to him.

Suddenly, the door creaked open and Judai's heavy heart lifted. His expression filled with renewed hope and then darkened again as Kenzan walked into the room. Clutched in one hand was a bag from the school's store. Apparently, he had made a last minute snack run on his way back.

Why couldn't you have been here five minutes ago? Judai thought bitterly. Perhaps if Kenzan had been there with them, he wouldn't have done something so stupid. Maybe this could have all been avoided.

"Hey, Big Bro! I just saw Senior Marufuji. He looked pretty upset. Did something happen?" Kenzan asked and Judai thought he sounded far too gleeful, chewing on one of the snacks that he had bought.

"Big Bro?" Kenzan asked when he failed to answer. Without a word, Judai shuffled back over to his bed and climbed in. He pulled the covers over his head and curled in on himself, feeling miserable.

Just for tonight, he wanted to hide from the world.

Judai sighed heavily as he took his usual seat next to Johan. He surveyed the view from the roof morosely. Johan coughed lightly in an attempt to grab his attention.

"Shou still won't talk to you?" Johan finally guessed once he realized that Judai wasn't going to meet his gaze. Judai snorted scornfully, but they both knew that his disdain was directed more at himself than anyone else.

"Talk to me? He won't even look at me." He said, his voice low and mournful.

It had been a week since "The Incident", as Judai had secretly begun referring to it as. Ever since then, Shou had been avoiding him. He had switched seats and had been fleeing from the classroom the minute their lessons ended. If Shou saw him approaching in the hallways, he would quickly turn and head in the opposite direction.

All the while, Judai had watched with a heavy heart as his actions from that night came back to bite him.

"How are you doing?" Johan asked after a brief pause. Judai smiled softly, his sadness alleviated slightly by his friend's concern.

It hadn't taken Johan long to notice that something was wrong. Judai supposed that he had been more withdrawn, his normally boisterous attitude dampened slightly. Besides, it wasn't hard to see that something had happened between Shou and him, due to the fact that Shou wasn't sitting next to him in class anymore.

When Judai had confessed to Johan what he had done, Johan had candidly told him that his actions had been incredibly stupid.

"I know, but I wasn't thinking!" Judai had whined.

"When do you?" Johan had joked.

Judai hadn't found it funny.

The more he had to go without Shou's presence in his life, the more Judai wished he could take back the impulsive action that had driven his friend away.

"I miss him." Judai admitted, the smile leaving his face. Johan gave him a sympathetic look.

"Have you tried to talk to him yet?" Judai shook his head. The action caused Johan to sigh heavily.

"You need to at least try to apologize to him!" His tone was filled with exasperation and Judai groaned, hanging his head.

"I know! But he doesn't want to talk to me! If I so much as try to get near him, he runs away!"

"Well, you need to figure something out, or you could lose Shou for good." Judai chuckled mirthlessly.

"Yeah, if I haven't done that already." He muttered bitterly. Johan didn't respond.

They sat in silence for a few moments. Eventually, Judai laid back on the roof, trying to relax in the warm sun. His eyes drifted shut and he was suddenly reminded of how tired he was. It wasn't particularly surprising, however. He hadn't been sleeping well lately.

"Something's bugging me though." Johan said suddenly.

"What's that?" Judai asked listlessly, peeking an eye open.

"When you told Shou that the kiss didn't mean anything, how did you say he reacted again?" Puzzled, Judai sat up and looked at him.

"He...He backed away from me and headed for the door. I was trying to reassure him, but it just seemed to make him more upset." Johan hummed in thought.

"What?" Judai asked impatiently, wanting to know what it was that his friend was thinking.

"Well," Johan began slowly, "if he was upset by the kiss itself, then you would think he would be comforted by the fact that it didn't mean anything." Judai raised an eyebrow.

"What are you suggesting?" Johan shrugged.

"Nothing really...but I can't help but wonder if maybe Shou wanted it to mean something. Maybe he wants to be more than your friend, or, in this case, your 'little bro'." Judai's eyes widened and he spluttered uselessly.

"No! He...He couldn't! I would have noticed!" Judai exclaimed,unsure of why his face felt so warm. However, against his wishes, an idea began to take root in his mind.

If Shou did have feelings for him, then having the kiss mean nothing would have hurt him more than anything else. Wincing, Judai pushed the thought from his mind. It wasn't something that he wanted to contemplate. He wasn't sure why, but the idea that his actions had simply angered Shou was somehow more bearable.

"No offense, but you're not exactly the most observant person." Johan said dryly. Huffing, Judai glared at him.

"Anyway," Johan continued, "it may not even be that he has a crush on you. Maybe he just didn't want his first kiss to be meaningless. Or with a guy." Johan's words cut Judai deeply. He hadn't even thought of that.

"I'm such an ass." Judai groaned, falling onto his back and hiding his face in his hands.

"I'm not going to agree or disagree with that statement." Johan said diplomatically.

"Johan?" He asked after a short pause, his voice coming out muffled.

"Hm?"

"What am I gonna do?" He heard Johan sigh.

"I wish I could tell you how to fix this, but Shou and you need to work it out between yourselves. The only thing I can do is give you advice." A hand touched his shoulder gently and Judai pulled his hands away from his face. Johan smiled down at him and, grabbing his arm, pulled him up into a sitting position.

"And my advice to you right now is to talk to him." His point made, Johan stood up and began walking toward the stairs.

"I'll see you later. I've got to get started on my homework." He heard Johan call as he walked away.

"Bye." Judai said quietly. Normally, he would have given Johan a more enthusiastic send off, but, at the moment, his mind was preoccupied.

He knew that Johan was right. Even though it seemed to be the last thing that Shou wanted, the two of them had to talk. Still, that was easier said than done. How was he supposed to explain to Shou the lack of thought that had gone into his actions? What could he say that would make it okay? After all, he had stolen Shou's first kiss, which, thanks to Johan's patient explanations, he now understood was supposed to be something special.

A simple apology wouldn't fix that, would it?

Sighing sadly, Judai stood, ready to head back to his dorm room.

Despite the fact that he still couldn't find the words, Judai resolved to try to talk to Shou the next day. He had to at least apologize.

Shou deserved that much.

"Shou!" Judai called as he bounded down the steps to the main floor of the classroom.

Shou hesitated for a split second, but very quickly resumed walking toward the doors at a brisk pace.

"Shou, please!" His words came out desperate, pained even. Shou stopped again, tensing as Judai caught up with him.

"What do you want?" Shou asked, annoyed.

"We need to talk." Judai whispered, all too aware that there were still other people in the classroom.

"I don't see what there is to talk about." Shou replied, making Judai wince.

He hadn't known that Shou could sound so cold.

Shou tried to walk out of the door again and, in desperation, Judai grabbed his wrist. Shou turned on him quickly, forcefully pulling his arm from Judai's grasp.

"Do not touch me." The ferocity in his voice was frightening. Still, Judai persisted.

"Shou, will you please listen to me?" Judai met Shou's gaze, trying not to shrink away from the anger that he found there.

"Why? Haven't you said enough?" Shou bit out through gritted teeth.

It was then that Judai noticed it.

He wasn't the best at identifying other people's emotions, but, for just a fraction of a second, he had seen pain in Shou's eyes.

Beneath all of the anger, Shou was hurting.

The realization that he had not only managed to anger one of his best friends, but to hurt him as well struck Judai like a punch to the gut This had been the very idea that he had pushed from his mind. He hadn't been able to bear the notion before and, now, to know that it was true made Judai feel worse than he could express. However, it made the need to apologize to Shou all the more important.

Taking a deep breath, he began to speak slowly, choosing his words with care.

"I...I can't give you a reason as to why you should listen to me, but...I'm asking you to anyway. I just want to talk! You're one of my best friends and I...I don't want to lose you." Something, Judai wasn't sure what, shifted in Shou's gaze.

"...Fine, but we aren't having this discussion here." As he spoke, Shou's eyes darted towards the seating area. Turning, Judai realized that many of the other students were still in the room. Not only that, but almost all of them were watching the two of them. Some were trying to be discreet while others were outright staring.

Even Kenzan, who he had left behind when he had bounded after Shou, was watching the two of them with thinly-veiled interest. Judai had never told him what had happened between the two of them and Kenzan had tried to question him about it. But Judai's temper had been abnormally short as of late and, after the fifth time Kenzan had asked him about what had happened, Judai had silenced him with a glare that could have made a pack of wolves cower.

He hadn't asked again after that.

Regardless, Judai had forgotten that they were there for a moment and felt embarrassed about the show that he had just given them. No doubt that he would be hearing various retellings of it in the hallways for the next few days.

Turning back to Shou, Judai realized that he had already left the classroom and raced to catch up.

They walked for several minutes, Shou leading the way. Not once did he look back to see if Judai was still following.

Finally, Shou led him into an empty classroom. Leaning against one of the desks, Shou folded his arms over his chest and watched Judai with narrowed eyes. He tried to resist the urge to squirm under Shou's scrutinizing gaze, waiting for the doors to close before he began speaking.

"I'm sorry." Judai finally said. Shou was silent for what felt like hours. Then, he arched an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed.

"That's all?" Shou looked at him, both his gaze and tone of voice flat.

"What else were you expecting me to say?" Judai asked earnestly. At this point, he was willing to say almost anything if it would repair their friendship.

"Oh, I don't know! Maybe an explanation? You know, so I can understand exactly why you kissed me? I'm not sure why, but 'I don't know' doesn't really help me feel any less angry with you!" The last part was said with biting sarcasm, making Judai gulp.

Frantically, he scanned his mind, trying to piece together an explanation that would satisfy Shou. All the while, he hoped that nothing he could say would make their situation worse.

"Well, I wanted to know why kissing seems to be such a big deal." Judai began unsteadily.

"Right, and?" Shou prompted impatiently.

"So, when you couldn't explain it to me, I guess I got sort of frustrated. I didn't get it and no one had ever really explained to me what kissing was like as a romantic gesture. The only type of kiss I've ever received was a kiss on the cheek from a relative." Despite it's truth, Judai used it as a poor attempt to make Shou laugh. Instead, Shou's eyes widened and Judai wondered if that surprised him. Regardless, he continued on.

"Anyway, I...I don't think I knew what I was going to do until I did it. I didn't think, I just acted. It was...an impulse." Hazarding a glance at Shou, Judai realized with a start that he had turned away.

"An impulse. Of course…" Shou choked out, sounding on the verge of tears. Upon hearing his voice, Judai's eyes widened in alarm.

"Shou, what's wrong?" On instinct, Judai took a few steps closer to him.

"What's wrong?" Shou's voice was so bitter that Judai froze where he was. Swiftly, deliberately, Shou turned and crossed the gap between them. Judai had just enough time to note the tears running in rivulets down his face before he was met with the sensation of lips being pressed against his own.

Shou's hands held his arms in a vice grip, keeping him in place. There was no need, however; Judai was too shocked to move.

This kiss was far different from the brief liplock that they had shared in the dorm room. This kiss was intense and passionate...desperate.

That was another thing, Judai realized. It wasn't just a touch of lips, it communicated emotions just as efficiently as any words. Perhaps better.

Slowly, Shou pulled away, releasing his arms as well. The kiss had left Judai's mind in a jumbled mess and he scrambled to collect his thoughts. When Shou began speaking, the words just barely registered.

"Do you get it yet?" Shou asked weakly. "I can't stand listening to you call that kiss you gave me meaningless. It wasn't meaningless. At least, not to me. That kiss gave me hope that these feelings that I have for you might be reciprocated. Then, to have you kill that hope just as soon as you spawned it...God, it just hurt so badly! It still does!" Shou's voice rose steadily, until he was practically shouting, tears still streaming down his face.

"It's even worse because I know better! I know you won't feel the same way for me! Just like I know that I shouldn't have these feelings for you in the first place! I try to ignore them, but they just won't go away!" Shou was crying freely now and it hurt Judai to see him so upset.

Hating how helpless he felt, Judai carefully wrapped his arms around Shou's smaller frame and pulled him close. It was the only thing that he could think to do as a form of comfort.

Instead of resisting, like Judai had feared that he would, Shou clung to him. There was such genuine pain in his cries, such intense suffering, that part of Judai wanted to crawl into a hole and die. The rest of him, though, wanted to hold Shou tighter, to pull him closer and whisper soft words of comfort. While he waited for Shou to cry himself out, Judai rubbed his back gently, a bit surprised by the rush of tenderness that was coming over him.

Finally, when Shou's sobs had reduced themselves to sniffles, Judai spoke again.

"How do you know?" He murmured.

"Huh?" Shou asked, hiccupping slightly.

"How do you know that I can't have feelings for you?" The words seemed to come of their own accord and Judai, although unsure of where they would lead him, spoke freely. Shou pulled back, looking directly at him.

"Well, do you?" Judai thought on it.

There was no doubt that Shou was attractive, in a cute sort of way. Judai had just never really given any thought to it before. He also could not deny that he had found the kiss to be enjoyable, nor did he want to. And, when he thought about it, Judai realized that he had never had a problem with the idea of kissing Shou. What he had struggled with was the knowledge that his actions had upset him.

That led him back to the all important question.

Could he have feelings for Shou?

He certainly enjoyed Shou's company. When Shou had begun trying to pull away from him, Judai had missed him terribly. It didn't seem like he was averse to having physical contact with Shou, either. His arms were still wrapped around Shou's waist, after all.

He doubted that it would be very difficult to think of Shou in a romantic sense. If the fact that there was a rather insistent desire to continue the kiss was anything to go by, then he was already beginning to.

"I think...I could." Judai said slowly.

"Could?" Shou asked tentatively. Judai nodded, growing more confident in his answer. It was becoming easier and easier to imagine himself with Shou and Judai thought that it was a pretty nice picture.

"Yeah. I think I want to. Be with you, that is." Slowly, unrestrained joy filled Shou's face and, laughing, he threw himself back into Judai's embrace. The force of it nearly knocked Judai off of his feet, but he couldn't help but laugh as well.

Shou had his face pressed into the crook of his neck and Judai felt drops of moisture falling onto his skin.

"Hey...Why are you crying?" He asked gently. Shou pulled back to look at him and Judai wiped away his tears. As he did so, Shou leaned into his touch and smiled.

"I'm just really happy, that's all." He said softly. Grinning, Judai's eyes darted down to his lips, which still formed that sweet, tempting smile.

Shou must have noticed that he was staring because he began to lean in slowly. A bit unsure of what he was doing, Judai tilted his head to the side and met Shou halfway, his eyes drifting shut.

When their lips met, the intensity of the previous kiss was no longer there. It was gentle and careful, but certainly no less pleasant. Shou's lips were soft and moved slowly against his own. For someone who had never been kissed before, Shou certainly seemed to know what he was doing and Judai found himself trying to copy his actions. He figured that he must have been doing pretty well, because, after a few moments, Shou sighed and leaned into him. His hand came up to rest against Judai's chest, the palm of it right above his heart.

Judai wondered if he could feel how fast it was beating.

Slowly, they separated. When Judai opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Shou. He was gazing at him somewhat dazedly through half-lidded eyes and there was a lovely blush dusting his cheeks. Judai realized that he had done this, he had made Shou look like this. Something in him, something deep and primal, practically purred at the knowledge.

"Judai…" He murmured, his fingers coming up to graze against Judai's cheek. Judai was suddenly struck by how good his name sounded on Shou's lips. The urge to kiss him again came upon Judai like a tidal wave.

Acting on instinct once more, Judai guided Shou backwards. He only stopped when the back of Shou's legs bumped against one of the desks. Shou gasped quietly as Judai dove for his lips, devouring them hungrily. His lips moved much more roughly than Shou's had, now confident in what he was doing.

Suddenly, Shou's tongue flicked out and drew across his bottom lip. Then, it darted back into Shou's mouth, as though hiding from him. Judai started slightly, before mimicking the gesture cautiously. Tentatively, Shou's lips parted and his tongue touched Judai's lightly.

He tried not to grimace when Shou pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Judai asked, succeeding in keeping his impatience from his voice.

"I'm sorry...I'm just…" Shou looked down bashfully, his face glowing a much brighter shade of red.

"Nervous?" Judai guessed.

"Yeah…" Frowning, Judai leaned against Shou and nuzzled his neck. Shou laughed quietly, making him smile.

"Well, don't be." Judai said, as though it were the simplest thing in the world, "You know more about this than me, so I need you to show me what to do." Then, he was struck by an idea. Pulling back slightly, he grinned at Shou.

"Here, sit on the desk." Shou's eyes widened and he stared at Judai, bewildered.

"What? Why?" Judai's grin became a touch sheepish.

"It'll make things easier." He answered vaguely. As much as he loved kissing Shou, he had to bend down slightly to do it, which was causing an uncomfortable crick in his neck. But he wasn't about to tell Shou that.

Hesitantly, Shou lifted himself up onto the desk. Once he had seated himself comfortably, Judai put his hands on Shou's knees and pushed his legs apart. Sliding between them, he rested one hand at the small of Shou's back and the other on the surface of the desk. Judai took a moment to appreciate the feeling of Shou's body pressed against his before he kissed him again.

"Judai…" Shou moaned softly, "Wait!" Judai pulled back and glowered at him, none too pleased with yet another interruption.

"Yeah?" Shou glanced towards the door warily.

"We shouldn't be doing this here! Someone could catch us!" He whispered urgently. Judai tried not to roll his eyes at him. Instead, he pressed his lips to Shou's neck experimentally.

"I know. That's what makes it exciting." He murmured, enraptured by the way Shou gasped and arched into him at his action. Gleefully, he sucked at the spot and any reservations Shou might have had were lost as he moaned again.

The sound of the doors opening startled them both and Judai pulled away from Shou's neck as though it had burned him. He didn't move from his spot, though, unwilling to leave Shou exposed to whatever prying eyes they might have to deal with.

Turning his head, he looked toward the door and glared balefully at the intruder. Judai didn't care if it was a teacher or a student, he was sick and tired of all the interruptions.

Standing in the doorway, staring at them with wide eyes, was an obelisk blue student. All three of them stood frozen for a moment. Then, grinning sheepishly, she darted into the room, pulled a bag from behind one of the desks, and ran back out through the doors.

Neither one of them spoke for a moment. Then, Shou groaned and buried his face in the crook of Judai's neck.

"I told you!" He whined. "That was so embarrassing." Judai grinned again, kissing Shou's cheek lightly.

"So we'll hear about it in the hallways for a few days. Who cares?" He asked, helping Shou down from the desk. Shou clung to him and hid his face in his chest. Judai noticed then how much he enjoyed having Shou in his arms.

This is nice. He decided, tightening his hold just the slightest bit.

"Why don't we go back to the dorms?" He asked gently.

"How am I supposed to show my face anywhere outside of this room after that?" Shou asked.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Judai chuckled. Draping his arm over Shou's shoulders, he began leading him towards the door.

"So, are you going to be sleeping in the Ra dorm again tonight?" He asked quietly as they walked down the hall. Peering meekly at the students that they passed, Shou waited a moment before replying.

"No...I think I'll be sleeping with you tonight." Grinning, Judai pulled Shou in closer as they walked.

"Good. I'm glad."

I could get used to this. Judai thought with a sleepy grin.

When they had first returned to the dorm room, Kenzan had raised an eyebrow when he had seen Judai's arm over Shou's shoulders. However, most likely remembering Judai's reaction when he had last tried to question him, Kenzan hadn't said anything. Instead, he had climbed up into his bunk and had begun to make adjustments to his deck.

Judai felt bad for the way that he had snapped at him and knew that he would have to explain what had happened between Shou and him soon. But, he could do that tomorrow. Tonight, he just wanted to focus on Shou.

Night had fallen hours ago, yet, contrary to his normal routine, Judai found himself stubbornly resisting sleep's embrace. It was difficult, but Judai thought that it was definitely worth it. Especially, as he took in the sight of Shou's sleeping face.

It was an enchanting sight that held him spellbound. Shou's expression was so peaceful, so relaxed. There was moonlight filtering in through the sole window of their tiny dorm room. It played softly across Shou's face and his skin seemed to glow in the pale light. He seemed almost ethereal and Judai rested his hand against Shou's cheek, as if needing some form of proof that he was actually there.

Shou stirred slightly at the touch, but showed no signs of waking. Emboldened slightly, Judai's fingers traced Shou's features in an almost reverent manner. His skin was warm and soft to the touch and Judai released a quiet sigh.

He was startled when Shou's eyes opened, peering sleepily at him. With a sheepish grin, Judai pulled his hand back.

"Sorry." He murmured. Shou just grinned tiredly at him. Then, wordlessly, he shifted closer to Judai, cuddling into his chest. Still smiling, Shou's eyes drifted shut again.

Although surprised at first, Judai's bemused expression quickly melted into a doting smile. Wrapping his arms around Shou's smaller form, Judai held him close. As his eyes closed, he again found himself noticing just how nice it felt to hold Shou like this.

Oh yes, he thought, I could definitely get used to this.