Disclaimer: It is supposed to be this short and random. It is complete and will not be updated. Reviews are welcome, but serious critique is not solicited.

Thanks, and enjoy!

-Eia

Prompt: Shuuji + Akira + Nobuta, truth

Note: This one is actually three drabbles, which want to be a real fic some day. I'll probably end up extending and tidying it up at some point and posting it to Empatheia, so if you like it, watch for it there. :) Thanks for reading!

xxxxx

The Infinite Duration

xxxxx

"Hey, hey, hey, I heard something," Akira said excitedly, draping himself between them like an alarmingly animate rag doll. "This American game they play at parties."

"Get off," Shuuji yelped, ducking agiley and warding Akira off with both hands. Then, "...What game?"

"It's called 'Truth or Dare.' It's like this--" He embarked on a long and mostly incoherent explanation of the simple rules, but Shuuji and Nobuta were used to him and got the gist well enough.

"Not a chance," Shuuji said, and set off down the hallway at a resolute pace.

Nobuta lifted her head and sucked in a painful breath. She didn't take breaths deep enough for speaking very often. "Wait," she whispered. "I'd like to play."

"Are you kidding?" Shuuji asked disbelievingly, but was overridden by Akira's joyful whoop.

Truth was, he rather wanted to play too, but he could never appear to have wanted to. That was suicide with Akira, he'd never get out of it.

"Tonight, then," he muttered bad-naturedly, and turned around to walk off for real this time. When he was sure they couldn't see his face anymore, he grinned.

This was probably a really bad idea, but damned if he wasn't looking forward to it.

xxxxx

Shuuji had come to the conclusion that this was the worst idea Akira had ever had, and that was saying something.

"I refuse," he said firmly. "Absolutely not."

"You're breaking the rules," Nobuta reminded him quietly, not meeting his eyes, her mouth twitching suspiciously.

Akira nodded in sage agreement. "You know what happens if you break the rules."

They were evil, both of them. Medieval demons come back to haunt him for his selfish thoughts. "I can't," he pleaded, "don't make me. I just... can't."

Akira hauled him bodily to his feet, lifted the window, and shoved Shuuji halfway out before the thinner boy could even react. The height dizzied him and he thought he might just throw up, both from that and from the hideous dare.

"Do it!" Akira cried cheerfully, whomping him encouragingly on the back. "Or..."

"Fine, fine!" he snapped, turning out to the street. There were people there. The consequences would be terrible if he didn't, though, so he resigned himself and opened his mouth. "IloveKusanoAkira."

"Not loud enough," Nobuta said from behind him, and he could practically hear the twisted smile in her voice.

There was no helping it. Shuuji shut his eyes, resolutely told himself that this was just a dream, and took a deep breath. "I LOVE KUSANO AKIRA," he bellowed into the chilly November air. He then wished with all his heart for a sudden fatal heart attack when the half dozen people on the street stopped in their tracks and craned their necks to look up at him.

...Five, four, three, two, one.

"I hate you all!" he yelled when Akira finally let him back in after the requisite ten second after-period.

"But you just said--" Akira started with an innocent look.

Shuuji, unable to take it another second, tackled him and tried to decide whether to pull his hair out or just give him the worst noogie of his life.

Nobuta's face contorted grotesquely in possibly the biggest smile they'd ever seen.

It was almost (but not really) worth it just for that.

xxxxx

It occurred to Shuuji that it was his turn now. A beatific smile spread across his face. Oh, sweet vengeance.

Akira bounced in his seat in anticipation.

Shuuji savoured the moment for a second, then opened his mouth. "I dare you to kiss--"

He got no further than that as Akira jumped over the table in a rather stunning flying tackle and kissed him messily and enthusiastically for about ten seconds. Then he pulled back and beamed, then frowned a split second later. "Wait a minute, kiss who?"

"Her," Shuuji sputtered furiously, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and glaring fit to stab Akira with his mind-daggers.

"Oh," Akira said happily, and turned around to do exactly that to a shocked and painfully embarrassed Nobuta. He spent quite a bit longer on her, which did not escape Shuuji's notice, but neither had he missed the fact that the bloody idiot had jumped at him first.

Shuuji would never understand what went through his head, and thought that he was probably glad for that.

xxxxxxxx

A/N: By the way, I borrowed the odd-looking title from a Karelia song.

Do you remember, remember that night?

Oh, when I held you in my heart so tight?