Title:The Midnight Kiss
Author: imaginary_witness
Pairings: NijiHai
Characters: Haizaki Shougo, Shuzo Nijimura
Ratings: T
Warnings: Underage drinking
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Holiday, Humour, Romance

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story: living (or passed) human beings or fictional characters. These events never happened, according to history or as the original author intended them. This is a work of fiction and is not intended to offend. For entertainment purposes only. Thanks.

Author's Notes: Another one-hit holiday piece, last fanfic for 2014. Have a safe and happy New Year's to all my readers! Reviews always welcome!

Haizaki awoke to the sound of the front door slamming. He jumped up, ignoring the ache in his back from having slept on the couch, and turned to face the door of his apartment. The chain lock had been pulled from the inside and the door hadn't appeared to have moved. Haizaki sighed and sat back down on the couch with his head in his hands; it must've been his annoyingly loud neighbours slamming doors which woke him.

Now that he was awake, Haizaki wiped his eyes and looked around. He might as well start his day, rather than lie on the couch for another countless amount of hours. He stood and stretched his back and arms, rising to his toes to feel the full length of his body. It seemed chilly in the apartment, though the windows were closed, and he reached for the remote to turn up the gas fireplace. With the flames dancing against the logs, Haizaki felt it was time to clean up. The living room table was a mess with dirty dishes, used napkins, and an overflowing ashtray. The curtains were pulled, casting the room in a dingy darkness, and he himself was wearing grey sweatpants and a white wife-beater with a coffee stain on the bottom.

He kicked his feet into his house slippers, black and fuzzy with orange basketballs flying through hoops, and began to pile the dishes together. It was December 31st, at one o'clock in the afternoon, according to the clock and Haizaki Shougo had nowhere to go. Fearing he would enter a foul mood pacing about the apartment on his own, Haizaki paused to track his stereo to play his hit-list, consisting of all the top 40's song from the years 2000 to 2004. He began to sing along, mouthing the words as he scrubbed the dishes and then the ashtray clean in the sink. Soapy water splashed onto his stomach, wetting his shirt,k but he didn't care, he wasn't trouble since he was already dirty.

A small bark of disapproval rang out in the small kitchen overlooking the front room as some of the soapy water had splashed onto the floor and consequently the small Maltese dog that was finding its way out of the cupboards under the sink. Haizaki jumped back and began laughing, watching the dog. He knelt down and ruffled its hair with his hand, bending down to kiss the top of its head.

"How are you, Muffin?" he asked, gaining a small bark in response. He picked up the dog and put it on the counter beside the sink, opposite to the clean dishes.

"Sit. Sit Muffin."

The dog was obedient, gaining a smile from Haizaki. He cupped some water into his hand and tossed it playfully at the dog, laughing as Muffin stood on his rear legs and pushed at Haizaki with his front paws. Haizaki chuckled. "Don't like that, do ya Muffin?"

The dog barked some more and Haizaki placed him on the kitchen floor once more. "Go eat your food, you stupid dog." He muttered.

Once the dishes were stacked in the draining rack, Haizaki began stripping and headed to the bathroom. He decided he would take a shower since he was already wet and dirty. Gathering his hair products, he opened the glass door and stepped into the shower to put the items on the shelf. A small grey mass flew past his feet and sat, tail wagging, beside the drain. Haizaki sighed.

"He didn't wash you today?" He asked the dog in annoyance. "Hang on."

He stepped out of the shower and grabbed the dog's care products as well. Stepping into the shower he washed the dog first, keeping the products on his hands only to avoid smelling like his pet. Once Muffin was clean, he stepped out of the shower briefly to wrap him in a towel.

"Now, wait." he held up his hand. "Sit, Muffin. Now stay."

He entered the shower again and turned up the hot water. Steam rose and clouded up the mirror as Haizaki took his time to clean his hair and lather his body with soap. He felt it wasn't arrogance but confidence when he looked down at his maturing body to notice the muscles that had gathered from hard work in the gym. He was beginning to look, as his brother said, older than his age from the contours of his body. It was the cockiness in his attitude that made Haizaki's admiration and appreciation for his own body seem rude.

He noticed the grey mass outside shake and hit the glass door of the shower lightly to catch the animal's attention. "Stay." he warned, showing the dog one finger. Annoyed, the Maltese lowered his head.

Haizaki worked to finished his shower quickly, keeping his eye on the dog. He turned for one moment, to please himself while he daydreamed of warm beaches and soft sand, before he rinsed himself off. It wasn't for as long as he desired to pleasure himself, but he was vaguely aware that he would be having to clean for the annoying dog if he forced it to wait longer than he had to. Once he was cleaned, he wrapped a towel around his waist and picked up the dog. "Let's get you cleaned up, huh?"

Dreaming of the pounding of a ball against concrete, he rubbed the towel over the dog so that he was dry and then let him out of the bathroom to cause whatever mayhem he wanted outside. He dried himself off, put on his most comfortable sweatpants, and cleaned up his products from the bathroom before heading back to the front room. He took note of the dry dishes in the rack and turned to the windows, throwing the curtains back with enthusiasm to see the world outside.

To his disappointment the world outside was blanketed in a thick layer of soft, white snow. His smile faltered and then slipped from his face completely. In the rain or shine, he would have been able to find a street court and toss a ball around, but with the snow there was little hope. He thought he could go to the arcades, but since the start of the holidays from school he had begun to feel restless without his usual running around. He pouted, most of the arcades would be closed anyways for the New Year's. Parties were being held all across the world. He ended up where he had started the day, on the couch, and flicked on the TV.

His cell phone lay on the table and Haizaki picked it up after flipping through several channels, each on commercial break. There was no new messages and it irked him that both his mother and his elder brother had to work on New Year's Eve again. He put the phone down annoyed. His friend's were all having family parties, the girls he knew at the moment were all too dirty or too low to spend the night with and deep down Haizaki found that he was relishing in the moment he had alone. The year was ending and just as he started it alone, he would end this year alone as well.

He looked up in time to see a slice of cheesy pizza being pulled from the whole as a local pizzeria advertisement flashed across the screen. "Muffin, do you want pizza?" he called. The dog yipped excitedly from the kitchen.

Haizaki looked at the clock: it was ten to four, he had eight hours until the New Year arrived. He decided to fish around the apartment.

Heading to his room, he found a small box of chocolates and a 2 liter, unopened bottle of ginger ale. He ducked into his mother's room and discovered a small bottle of Jack Daniel's. "Muffin, we're going to have a good new year's."

Three hours had passed and Haizaki sat up, shirtless and warm thanks to the fireplace. He had placed all the dishes away and moved the ashtray back to the front room table, which was now relatively empty, before starting a movie to pass away the time. As he watch he cut paper, marked assignments and old hand outs from class with he fill as orange and green with coloured felts from his desk. Using a small bit of glue, he folded the long strips he had cut into loops and created a string of colours which he began to hang up around the room. He would have to take them down of course, but he thought the gesture would be appreciated by his small family when they arrived home.

Hearing the phone ring, he picked up and hit one, not bothering to speak to the voice. Not long after there was a knock at the door and he stopped by the kitchen to retrieve some money from the smallest jar on the counter, before opening the door. The exchange was made, money for pizza, and Haizaki closed the door behind himself as he took the pizza to the front room and placed it on the table. He wasn't sure if he was hungry just yet, so he left it closed and headed to the kitchen to wash his hands.

Muffin followed at his heels, yipping occasionally, looking towards the steaming box on the table.

"You'll get some, just wait." Haizaki scolded. "Act like a proper animal."

He lifted a plate from the cupboard and knelt down to retrieve one from the drawer for Muffin to eat off of. A new program started on the TV, but he paid no attention as he left the plates on the table and doubled back to the kitchen to make his drink. He was swaying his hips and humming to himself as he unscrewed the cap on Jack Daniel's when the phone rang once more.

Haizaki looked confused and crossed the short distance to hit the home key on his cell phone. He had no new message or missed call. Brought up short, he grabbed the home phone before the last ring.

"Hello?"

"Is Shogo home?"

The voice that spoke seemed familiar, yet distant. Haizaki frowned, annoyed that he couldn't connect a face to the name so early into the call.

"He's speaking."

"Let me up, punk."

"Who?" Haizaki asked in disbelief. He rolled his eyes and wished the caller would go away.

"You know who. Shogo, let me up or I'll kick your ass! It's freezing out here."

"Argh, fine!"

Haizaki hit the one key and hung the phone up. He groaned and headed back to the kitchen. "Looks like we've got company Muffin." He picked up the dog and put him in his brother's room, closing the door softly.

He had only enough time to head to the kitchen and take a shot of whiskey from the bottle dry, before there was a knock at the door. He groaned and unlatched the chain before pulling the door open. And there before him stood his captain, Nijimura Shuzo. His dark black hair was swept in its usual style to the left but was wet with melting snowflakes. His black jacket was pulled tightly around him and he stood in grey jeans and dark runners, which were also wet from the snow.

"Come in, get warm!" Haizaki found himself saying, despite the tension between them. He pulled the door wide and stood aside, waiting for Shuzo to cross the doorstep.

The older boy stepped into the apartment and removed his shoes with ease. Haizaki found himself blushing as his own exposed a softer side that no one at his school knew of, clad in his soft and fuzzy basketball slippers. Shuzo took note and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing of it.

He stood and began to head into the living room without further invitation. He paused as he passed the counter with the liquor.

"You were planning on drinking?" he questioned, tilting the bottle with his long fingers to read the alcohol percentage.

"Well, yeah. A bit."

"'A bit.'" Shuzo quoted and chuckled. "Pour me a glass, would you?"

Haizaki raised an eyebrow. "You drink?"

"For tonight."

Haizaki rolled his eyes and headed into the kitchen to fix their drinks. He heard Shuzo sit onto the couch and the pizza box opening. Haizaki grabbed a second plate from the counter and used it as a tray to carry the two drinks out to the front room. Considering he now had company, he brought the pop and booze to the front room with him.

Shuzo had already taken a bite of the pizza and was smiling at Haizaki as he entered. Haizaki glared.

"Thought you'd be eating meatballs." He gested.

Haizaki resisted the urge to roll his eyes, he didn't want to trip over the dog.

"Ha. Ha. I eat other food you know."

"And pizza? You like pizza?"

"Pizza's alright."

"Pizza's kinda...boring."

"Hey, it's cheap. Besides, the commercial made it look good."

Shuzo grinned. "Such a sucker."

"And why exactly are you crashing my place on New Year's Eve of all days?"

"Well, I thought you might want some company." Shuzo replied slyly.

Haizaki sat beside him, cautious of his captain's body. As soon as his hands were empty, he felt a sharp pain across his cheek as something heavy hit him. He turned to Shuzo.

"What was that for?"

"Making me freeze my ass off and not letting me in earlier."

"What the Hell, Shuzo?! I didn't know it was you!"

"You did."

Haizaki rolled his eyes. He'd be entering the New Year with a bruise on his face. Instead of arguing, he reached into the pizza box and took a slice for himself. Shuzo watched him eagerly.

"It's interesting seeing you at home."

Haizaki paused in fighting the stringy cheese for his bite of pizza. "Huh?"

"You're different at home. So much more...at ease."

Haizaki raised an eyebrow again and hurried to swallow his food. "Aren't we supposed to be at ease at home?"

Shuzo chuckled. "Oh, yes, yes. I suppose."

Haizaki's eyes narrowed. Something seemed of about his captain. He thought to be careful with his words, but he was sure that if he asked and received another bruise, it would at least be for a good cause. "Shuzo, why are you here? Is everything alright at home?"

Shuzo's eyes hardened and he raised a fist. Haizaki raised an arm to block, but no impact was felt. Haizaki lowered his arm cautiously, aware that he might be falling for a ploy, yet Shuzo sat with his hands in his lap. His eyes were wet but no tears fell from them and he sat staring at the box of pizza on the table before them, without really seeing it.

"Shuzo?" Haizaki questioned. It was unusual to see his captain seem so...vulnerable.

"I won't hit you for asking me that, Shougo, because you didn't do anything wrong." Shuzo spoke quietly. "There is something wrong at my house, but it's not that I need a crutch or I came running to you to save me. I just thought you might be alone and would like some company for New Year's."

Haizaki felt his posture lower and he put his plate on the table. He felt many emotions for his captain all at once, ranging from pain listening to his voice in that tone to a small piece of admiration for his compassion, despite his own distress. He found it hard to believe that Shuzo would use him, after all this time, as some form of escape and yet the thought of that thrilled him, so that it masked his feelings of being used. He scowled at himself but found he was smiling at Shuzo, who had changed their relationship with that little bit of insight into their lives. A piece of Haizaki felt rested around Shuzo, having gained a small portion of his captain's respect had in turn allowed himself to love him with a full heart. The feelings he repressed of yearning to see Shuzo smile and share in his happiness broke through with a vicious strength.

"Shuzo, you don't have to tell me what you don't want to. I respect that. But I am glad you're here. I guess I could use the company."

Shuzo picked up the TV remote and turned the volume down to hold only as low background noise. He then turned to Haizaki.

"My father is ill again." He began, his lower lip quivered. Despite Haizaki's disclaimer, Shuzo felt safe in trusting Haizaki with his problems. While he found he could always physically hurt Haizaki, a part of Shuzo felt that he knew whatever he did against Haizaki, the younger boy was more forgiving than he had any right to. "Between the medical bills and his own selfish ambitions, he has spent the family savings. My mother is forced to work to bring in enough income to support myself and my siblings, but we don't know how much longer my family will be able to hold out. Father might be moved to America, my brother and sister want to go with him. I'll either be left here, alone, or taken with him to America. They are all having a party with all our relatives, but I just...I couldn't find it in me to stay."

Haizaki watched Shuzo's eyes, unsure if he would witness him cry. The older boy was strong and his emotions didn't show as openly.

"You can't go to America, Shuzo! I'll- I'll miss you!"

Haizaki threw his arms around the boy, sure he would be gut-punched for his actions. He was surprised to find Shuzo had wrapped his arms around him in reply and the two boys embraced each other for the first time.

"I'll miss you too, Shougo."

A heavy pile of warmth slammed into Shuzo's gut at that moment and broke the two boys apart. Haizaki picked up the animal and lifted him over his head, nuzzling it's rear paws and kissing them.

"That was mean of you Muffin. Bad boy Muffin."

Shuzo watched him with a strange look on his face, puzzled with the sudden show of emotion his forward displayed.

"This is Muffin." Haizaki smiled. He brought the dog to sit in his lap. "He's my brother's dog. But my brother takes less care of him than he used to because he works full time now."

Shuzo reached out an unsure hand and pet the excited dog.

"He normally doesn't like new people so you're either an exception or he's excited for the pizza." Haizaki chuckled.

"How," Shuzo dragged the word. "How come I never see this side of you at school?"

Haizaki stared blankly at his captain. "What do you mean? How come you appear so strong at school and then not so here? How come I appear arrogant at school and charming at home? We all hide pieces of ourselves away, captain."

Shuzo watched him as Haizaki pulled the crust from his pizza and placed it on the plastic plate before setting both dog and plate down on the floor.

"You let him eat pizza?" Shuzo raised an eyebrow.

"My brother did. I just follow what he did. He seems fine with the crust. But no cheese."

"How about meat?" Shuzo asked, picking a piece off of his own slice.

"Meat's fine. No cheese."

Shuzo lowered his hand and whistled, catching Muffin's attention. He waved the piece of meat in front of the excited dog, which looked from the crust to the meat and back to the crust. He seemed torn between the options and suddenly darted for the meat, taking the piece from Shuzo and licking his fingers.

"You're going to spoil him." Haizaki muttered.

"It's New Year's." Shuzo grinned.

Haizaki smiled. Shuzo was breathtaking when he smiled.

Shuzo leaned back and pulled Haizaki into his side. He left his pizza on his lap and took his drink from the table.

"To us." he smirked.

"To alcohol." Haizaki teased. He touched his glass to Shuzo's before watching in awe as his captain downed his drink entirely. It was different to see Shuzo drink alcohol.

Shuzo put the glass down on the table and began to finish his pizza. He leaned down and put the crush on Muffin's plate.

"I'd never imagine that I'd be sitting here, feeding Muffin and eating pizza with my captain." Haizaki said softly.

"You don't imagine a lot of things then, Shougo." Shuzo laughed. "Where is your family, by the way? Why are you alone here?"

Haizaki blushed. "They're working."

"So you decorated to sit here alone? What, no parties to go to? No girls you wanna see? You can tell me."

Haizaki scowled. "No. No parties."

"Oh c'mon. Tell me. Why not?"

"I don't know anyone having any parties for friends. All family only. Besides, I don't mind being alone."

"Honestly?" Shuzo shook his head. "You are full of surprises."

Haizaki just raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure if he should be offended that Shuzo was amazed at how kind he could be or amused.

"I didn't even know you had a dog!"

Haizaki chuckled. "How could you? Like I said, it's my brother's dog. And he's never out of the house."

"Yeah, but your uniform doesn't even smell. And you don't have hair or fur anywhere."

"You don't know much about animals, do you?"

Shuzo chuckled. "I guess not."

"No, he's a Maltese. He's a clean dog." Haizaki laughed.

"His name is Muffin, right?"

"Yes."

"Muffin?"

The dog barked in response.

"Thank God, I thought he was broken for a second." Haizaki laughed. He poured Shuzo another drink and finished his own.

"So, tell me more I don't know about you?" Shuzo pressed.

"Why? I'm not that interesting."

"You are. I swear, I'm not making fun of you or anything."

Haizaki bit his bottom lip. "I don't know what else is there to say."

"How old is your brother?"

"He's 22."

"Wow."

"What about your siblings?"

"Ah, they're devils. Regardless, they're my father's favorites."

"I wouldn't know what that's like." Haizaki muttered.

"Did he pass away?" Shuzo questioned, his voice was a soft whisper. It was clear that he knew he breached a sensitive topic.

"He left when I was very young. I don't remember him." Haizaki down his drink and poured himself another in frustration. "He had another woman."

Shuzo's eyes glowed with anger, the kind of look that Haizaki would normally cower in fear of, however Haizaki was busy watching his dog chew through the harden crust of the pizza.

"What a pathetic excuse of a human being."

"Right?"

"I'm sorry that you had to live through it."

"I'm sorry that he's still alive."

They held a moment of silence, Haizaki too angry to speak and Shuzo unsure of what words would make things right between himself and Haizaki once more.

Muffin saved them, having finished the crust and began pestering them for more.

"Here." Haizaki took a piece from the box and ripped the crust off it. He gave the piece to the dog and upon seeing Shuzo's eyes alight with amusement, he smiled.

"I'm sorry. That was uncalled for."

"It's alright. I understand."

"No, it was rude of me. I'm sorry. I struggle sometimes with..."

"Being left behind?"

"Well, yeah. Sometimes I wonder if I was the reason he left."

"Don't be stupid. A baby can't force his parent away."

A corner of Haizaki's lips turned up. "Thats true. I'd never turn away from my son."

Shuzo smirked. "You think about that sort of shit? Christ Haizaki, you're not out of school yet."

Haizaki chuckled. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right." Shuzo laughed. "I'm the captain."

Haizaki laughed and stood. Shuzo watched as Muffin followed at Haizaki's heels. Haizaki returned with a standard deck of cards with pictures of members from the NBA. Shuzo raised his eyebrows.

"You say you don't like basketball? That you only play to kill time?"

"Yeah, well. I say stupid shit sometimes."

Haizaki shuffled the cards and divided the deck. The pair started to play the game of Speed, which Haizaki won first and then lost three games in a row.

"I'm not good at this."

"I can kick your ass as fast as I can play this. I'm not surprised that you're losing."

Haizaki glared. "Shut up, you moron."

Shuzo laughed. "Be quiet, you punk."

The games continued until late into the night. The two boys continued drinking and eating their pizza, which turned cold as the night wore on. Some drinks in, both Haizaki and Shuzo had moved from the sofa to the floor and began cuddling Muffin.

"What time is it, Shougo-kun?" Shuzo chuckled.

"Oh fuck, it's almost midnight."

Haizaki sat up only to have Shuzo pull him back down.

"Stay here, stay here with me, you punk."

Haizaki laughed. "My back hurts. Let me go, let's go to the couch."

"Shougo, let's go to your bed instead."

Haizaki froze. And then laughed. "Sure, why not?"

He stood and pulled Shuzo to his feet. On their way to the the smallest bedroom, at the end of the hallway, Haizaki grabbed the pizza box and tossed it on the floor as he entered his room. Muffin eagerly chased after it and began scratching the box.

"This is your room?" Shuzo chuckled, as he looked around the walls plastered with posters of rappers, sports teams, and mafia movies. Haizaki, like so many boys his age, had a small replica basketball hoop above his closet door. He had no dresser, but a small hutch with seven drawers which held most of his clothing and the top of which was covered with hair products, combs, eyeliner, and foundations, mixed with small video game cartridges for game boys, xbox boxes, and a tangle of device chargers.

"Yepp." Haizaki sighed, laying atop the sheets of his bed, directly in front of the door and shoved into to corner. "This is my prison." he joked.

Shuzo chuckled. "May I?" he gestured to the bed.

"Of course!"

Shuzo sat on the bed.

"And so here we are! Heading into the New Year's together!"

"Are you drunk Shougo-kun?"

"No, not yet. How about you?"

"Just buzzed."

Haizaki giggled. "Thank you, Nijimura, for coming over tonight."

"Thank you for letting me Shougo-chan."

"You're going to stay, right?"

"Can I?"

"Sure. I don't want you walking home drunk."

The dark haired boy made a face, the corners of his lips twisting down as he mentally debated whether he should protest Haizaki's claim on his mental status. He settled with heeding the youngster's advice. He reached over and patted his knee.

"Thanks Shougo."

Haizaki looked at the digital clock on his nightstand. It was five to twelve.

"Hey Shuzo?"

"Yeah?"

"It's nearly midnight."

Shuzo grabbed Haizaki's hand and pulled him to sit up beside him. "What should we do to celebrate?"

The small forward frowned. "I don't know. I didn't think that far ahead."

"Well, hurry up and decide!"

"Are there any traditions?"

"Should we do the midnight kiss?"

Haizaki chuckled. "The what?"

"The midnight kiss. It's a tradition."

"What's it for?"

"It brings good luck. Some say the first person you meet at twelve o'clock will set the type of atmosphere your year will have. So if you kiss at twelve, you will have a good year-"

"Because you'll have a romantic year." Haizaki raised his eyebrows. "Indeed."

"Others say that kissing those closest to you at midnight will strengthen your relationship in the new year."

"You don't seriously believe that, do you?"

"We can't be certain." Shuzo cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "But we can try it."

Haizaki laughed and checked the clock. "Sure. One minute to go."

Shuzo sat up and pulled Haizaki with him. "Come on, you stupid punk, I don't want to miss it."

Haizaki rolled his eyes and leaned against the wall behind him. The window across the room was wide open, with the snow floating down from the sky. The crescent moon was bright in the sky. He wanted to say something sarcastic to Shuzo, but when he turned to face him, he was cast into silence as he realized he was closer than before.

Shuzo looked at the clock and then took Haizaki's face between his two palms, his skin not yet rough but hardened since his puberty and devoted training. He looked into the silver haired boy's grey eyes, watching him with interest and slightly glassy from the alcohol. He chewed on his bottom lip once, pulling it back with his teeth to lick over the smooth skin, before turning and glancing at the clock once more.

"Happy new year's, Shougo-chan."

Haizaki made to repeat the well wishing to his captain when Shuzo leaned forwards and touched their lips timidly together, just as the clock behind the dark haired boy flashed to twelve. Around them, the neighboring apartments erupted with noise as many others celebrated the first seconds of the new years. But the sudden noise didn't change the two boys. Though shy at first, Haizaki found himself reaching up and twisting his fingers through his captain's hair. Encouraged by his actions, Shuzo pressed his lips against Haizaki's eagerly, crushing them together and moving them with his. They gasped into each other's mouths, only to timidly allow their tongues to explore the other's and tangle together. They tasted each other for the first time, with Haizaki unsure of his feelings for his captain and Shuzo allowing his feelings to finally be exposed. He dropped his hands so that his arms could wrap around his forward's shoulders and pull him closer.

Haizaki broke the kiss just as the first minute of the new year became displayed on the clock. He ducked out of the reach of Shuzo's lips, blinking before he looked at the boy above him. "Nijimura-"

Shuzo smiled in respond, a smile that made Haizaki feel as though the sun was shining through the window and the day had just begun, as if he was seeing him for the very first time.

"I've wanted to do that for a very long time, Shougo-chan."

To Shuzo's surprise, Haizaki laughed.

"Why didn't you?"

Shuzo cocked an eyebrow. "Are you crazy? I didn't know how you would react!"

"You're the one always beating me up. It would have been a nice change to feel something softer than a fist."

Shuzo leaned back, his eyes amused. He chuckled and then began laughing, one hand still on Haizaki's shoulder.

"You're right, you silver punk."

Haizaki sighed. He hadn't thought of Shuzo as anything other than a leader since meeting him. It was with an oddly feeling in his stomach that he realized he was devilishly handsome and rather troublesome himself, which caused Haizaki to blush.

"You could...always...well, I don't mind-"

Shuzo watched him trying to form a coherent sentence and chuckled at his attempt. He raised his hand to touch Haizaki's cheek again and leaned in to press their lips together once more.

"You stupid punk." he whispered into Haizaki's ear.

"Shut up, you moron." Haizaki moaned. "Just kiss me."