A/N: Here's chapter 2! I'm really sorry it took me this long. I had planned to update last weekend, but that didn't work out, unfortunately. Also, Todou doesn't appear yet, because things turned out a bit differently than I had expected in this chapter. But I promise he'll be there right from the start of the next chapter! On the bright side, this chapter is (slightly) longer than the last one. Hurray! Thank you all so much for the reviews/favorites/follows, they make me really happy! And a special thanks to JMarieAllenPoe for giving some useful tips. :D I hope you'll all enjoy this chapter!

Misaki didn't even make it into the kitchen. The moment he'd entered the apartment, the door was closed and he was shoved against it.

"U-usagi-san…Now's not a good time, I've got to make lunch…"

The man smirked, violet eyes sparkling.

"So you're saying it's okay after lunch?"

The comment made Misaki flush. He struggled to get out of Usagi-san's grip, but the author was too strong.

"Baka-Usagi!"

"You know, I offered you a choice. But, seeing as you won't reply and insulted me, I guess I'll just have my way with you now…"

Misaki's eyes widened. Damn it, why did this man always have an answer ready? Again, he unsuccessfully tried to free himself.

"N-no! It's way too early to be doing such things! I really need to prepare some food, so please-"

He stopped when he felt a cold, familiar hand sliding under his T-shirt.

"A-ah…Usagi-san!"

He was turned around, so that his back was facing Usagi-san, and then the hand started travelling up and down, leaving burning traces all over his chest. The sensation of the mix between cold and hot was addictive, and just so like Usagi-san. Misaki had to admit to himself that he loved the feeling. Wait – no! He couldn't let himself get used to this!

"Misaki…"

Misaki felt his face heat up, and became even more flushed when another hand came into action and started fumbling with his belt. He knew where this was heading. While he was still having a mental debate about whether or not he should try to stop Usagi-san one more time, he sensed a familiar buzzing feeling.

"U-usagi-san…my phone…'

The novelist had managed to undo his belt with one hand and was now busy working on the button of his jeans.

"Who cares?"

He should probably be already used to it, but Misaki still felt a slight pang of irritation.

"It's my phone, of course I care! I've got a life, you know!"

Because his back was turned to Usagi-san, he couldn't see his face, but he just knew the man was raising his eyebrows. He also had a pretty good idea of what was coming next.

"Oh? What could possibly be more important in your life than me?"

"B-baka! I've got friends who might need me or want to see me!"

Usagi-san suddenly pulled his hand back. Surprised, Misaki tried to turn around, but before he could, two strong arms were firmly wrapped around him and he was pulled close to Usagi-san's chest.

"So you're saying you'd rather hang out with friends than spent some quality time with your lover?"

Misaki's face got even more heated and he felt like his heart could burst out of his chest any minute now. How was it possible that this man could make him feel this way with just one sentence? It seriously scared him.

"How the hell is this supposed to be quality time?!"

He tried again to shove Usagi-san away and surprisingly, it worked.

"I know exactly what you're trying to do! Don't you ever think about what I want? You don't even allow me to check my phone! It's ridiculous! Baka!"

Misaki didn't know where the words came from. They suddenly all came tumbling out of his mouth. He didn't even mean them, really. Sure, it were the things that annoyed him about Usagi-san: always sneaking up on him, never listening when he said no, being overprotective and extremely jealous. At the same time, however, these things were all part of Usagi-san, which meant…

Which meant he actually liked them.

He was so occupied by his own thoughts that he almost missed the expression on Usagi-san's face.

His violet eyes were wide, and full of an emotion Misaki couldn't place at first. Or rather, he could, but he still found it hard to believe, since he seemed to be the only one who could make Usagi-san look like that.

The man looked hurt.

Guilt immediately took over all of Misaki's thoughts, and he desperately tried to make things better.

"Ah, no, I mean…I didn't mean it, Usagi-san, I-"

His pleading words didn't seem to work. Usagi-san had his head bowed now, which made it impossible for Misaki to read more of the feelings on his face. He could tell something was seriously wrong, though. Usagi-san never had troubles with being open about his thoughts, except when he was really upset.

If he were Usagi-san, he would just say something to make the other person feel better. The novelist could probably fix this with just a few sentences. Misaki, however, had never been very good with words, especially not when it came to voicing his feelings.

"I-"

"I'm going to work. Make whatever you like for dinner, I don't really feel like eating."

Usagi-san started walking toward the stairs. Before climbing them he added, without looking back:

"If you decide to meet up with that friend of yours, make sure to leave a note."

Misaki could only stare after the man as he climbed the stairs and disappeared into his workroom.

Shit. He'd really messed up this time.

"So, what should we do for dinner?"

Shinobu shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't particularly care. We can go to a restaurant, or we can go back to your apartment. Although in that case, we should drop by the supermarket first, because I don't think the ingredients left from last time are very edible. I don't mind going grocery shopping, though."

He couldn't help but sound a bit hopeful. It had been a long time since he'd had any quality time with Miyagi, which meant they also hadn't…done anything the last couple of weeks. It wasn't like that was the only thing he was after, but still…

"Let's eat out, then. After all, it's been a while: we'd better spoil ourselves."

It stung a little. Was his cooking that bad? Shinobu knew he wasn't very good at it, but he'd definitely made a lot of progress since he started. Plus he always hoped that Miyagi would be able to taste the effort and the love he put into it.

Of course, he wasn't going to let his lover know.

"Sure. Whatever you like."

Miyagi suddenly stopped walking and turned to face Shinobu. Since they were in the middle of the sidewalk, this resulted into a passer-by bumping into him.

"Oi! Don't just stop in the middle of the street!"

Miyagi only shot him a quick look, then took Shinobu's arm and pulled him toward a store that sold electronics. He stopped in front of the shop window.

"What's up with you? You've been distant this whole time."

Shinobu stared at the TV's and laptops displayed in the shop window. He really didn't want to tell Miyagi; the man would probably say something about him being a brat or a kid, and that was the last thing he wanted to hear from his lover.

"It's nothing – Just thinking about that guy from earlier."

Miyagi rose his eyebrows.

"Eh? You're still thinking about that? He was just taking too much time to try on those shirts, it's not like that's something to be this bothered about."

"It's not that, it's just…I wonder what his relationship with that man was."

Miyagi still looked confused, so Shinobu offered a little more explanation.

"The man who picked him up – he looked familiar for some reason. And earlier, that guy – Misaki, I think? – asked me something… "

He trailed off. It might not be the best idea to tell Miyagi, since he already was so worried about people finding out about them.

"Shinobu."

Suddenly, his chin was grabbed and he was forced to look Miyagi in the eyes.

"Tell me. You know you can tell me everything, right?"

Shinobu tried to look away, but it was no use. Those beautiful, dark blue eyes always drew him in completely.

"He asked me about my relationship with you."

Miyagi's eyes widened and he let go of Shinobu's chin. It looked like this one sentence not only took him by surprise, but also made him realize they were in public.

"Don't worry, I didn't tell him. I know you want it to be a secret, so - "

"What did you tell him?" Miyagi interrupted.

"To mind his own business."

This made his lover cover his face with one hand and groan in frustration.

"This is bad…If even someone as innocent as that kid has suspicions…"

'I knew I shouldn't have told him,' Shinobu thought. He had to make this right, somehow.

"Hey, who said anything about him having suspicions? He probably just wondered what and old guy was doing with a guy his own age."

"That's exactly the point! Remember that time we went out and those people thought we were escort and client? One time was bad, I don't want that to happen again."

Shinobu snorted.

"Yeah right, as if an escort would go shopping with his clients."

"That's not the problem! It's just – it's weird for us to be seen together."

Shinobu felt like his heart stopped for a moment. Did that mean Miyagi wouldn't go on dates with him anymore? Sure, staying home was great as well – as long as they were together, everything was fine, really – but…they were lovers! They were supposed to do things together – and not only those things.

"So, you're saying you don't want to be seen with me anymore? Is that is? Are you so ashamed of me that you need to hide me?"

He knew very well that he was unreasonable, but he didn't care.

Miyagi sighed and brought a hand to his hair, something he always did when he was upset.

"Shinobu-chin…We've talked about this several times. I know it's different for you, but I'm a working adult and I've got to think about my reputation…"

Suddenly, Shinobu felt like he couldn't take it anymore. All of the worries about being found out, all the irritations about being treated like a little kid, and above all the doubt about Miyagi's feelings for him – it all just came out at once.

"There you go again! You're always, always treating me like a little kid! It's so annoying! Sometimes I wonder if I'm even more to you than a distraction from the memories of your precious sensei!"

He heard Miyagi gasp.

"Shinobu, you know that's not - "

"It's not? Than tell me what I have to do to make you see me as a proper lover! Tell me what I have to do so that you no longer see me as a little, annoying brat."

To his dismay, he felt tears welling up. He wasn't going to cry in public, damn it!

Miyagi took a step closer to him.

"Shinobu-chi…Shinobu. You've never been a substitute. Didn't I declare my love for you in front of sensei's grave? And I've never seen you as an annoying brat…Well, maybe sometimes, but never really…"

He knew that. He'd heard it before, multiple times. That didn't stop the feelings of doubt he was having, though. Sometimes words just weren't enough. Sometimes you needed actions.

"Proof it," he whispered. "Proof that you love me."

Miyagi looked taken aback. He stood there for a moment, completely frozen. Then he started moving forward, and before Shinobu could process what was happening, he was being kissed. In public. By Miyagi.

The kiss wasn't hungry, like a lot of their kisses were. This time, it was sweet and full of love and pain and longing. Shinobu forgot all about their surroundings and threw his arms around his lovers neck to pull him even closer, while Miyagi in return put his hands on Shinobu's waist.

They stayed like that for a while, until they had to break apart to catch their breathes. At that moment, it seemed like the rest of the world suddenly appeared again. Shinobu noticed that quite a lot of people glanced at them while walking by or pointed them out to their companions. Not all of the looks were very nice, but he couldn't care less. Miyagi had just kissed him on the street! Suddenly worried about how his lover would react to the stares, he turned his head.

Miyagi wore a surprised expression, like he couldn't believe what he'd just done. He didn't look like he would pull back though, so Shinobu let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. He buried his head in the crook of Miyagi's neck and mumbled: "Thank you." In response, his lover tightened the embrace.

Shinobu felt like he could stay like that all day, but after only a short time, he got the feeling that someone was staring at them. Like, really staring.

He turned around and was met with a familiar face.

"Ta-Takatsuki-kun?"

Tun-dun-dun! Who could it be...? ;D My apologies for leaving you with a cliffhanger, but it just seemed like the right moment to stop, otherwise the chapter would have become too long (if I write longer chapters, it's going to take even longer for me to update). I'll do my best to update a little faster this time. :)

Chapter 3 spoilers (things might turn out a little different, I'm never 100 percent sure what's going to happen next xD): Misaki and Shinobu meet again and we'll get some Akihiko POV.