A/N: Thanks for all the nice reviews! Especially Sacri, your reviews are so in depth and they make my day! I appreciate everyone who reads my story. :) Have a fluffy chapter. Not beta'd, but proofread.

Kurisu was revising her speech for what felt like the umpteenth time. She still had a few days to prepare, she didn't know what had her so nervous. She was an opinionated person and proud of it, but to speak professionally in front of people who would absorb what she said and pick it apart was scary. So many judging eyes. She sighed and rubbed her temples, tired of staring at computer screens.

Might as well stop by the lab, she thought. She didn't feel the need to ask Okabe if she could, she knew he didn't mind, even if he wouldn't admit that.

Mayuri was the one who answered the door. "Tuturu~! Kurisu is here!" She called out. Kurisu giggled a bit.

"Hi, Mayuri," she said, slipping her shoes off and stepping inside.

"Hello, Christina," Okabe said. He was sitting at the computer chair, typing something, it seemed. "What are you writing?" she asked.

"Um...Something for school," he said. Mayuri smiled a little bit to herself.

"What's he really writing?" she whispered to her.

Mayuri whispered back. "He's on some fan forums." Kurisu laughed out loud.

"What's so funny, Genius Girl?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," she said innocently. "You look like you're working pretty hard on that assignment is all."

"I am, thank you," he said, but he quickly realized she was being sarcastic and looked over at her with a scowl. "I am working on something for my studies, thank you very much."

She came up behind him. "Mmhm, it's very scholarly to have such heated discussions about an anime from 1998."

He sputtered. "Since when do you dictate my free time, Christina?"

"What's your screenname? Oh, of course, Hououin Kyouma. I'll keep a look out for you."

He looked at her with a glint in his eyes. "Ah, so you're on the fan forums as well? What section do you dwell in, Christina? Is it perhaps the fanfiction section?"

She crossed her arms. "Oh, shut up!"

"Hmm, the American Genius Girl writing fanfiction...Perhaps she's a quite well known author," he said, like he had made a great discovery. "Or perhaps she writes the stories that are filled with mindless smut!"

Her face burned. "You're such a pervert! And I'm sure you contribute such wonderful insight with your mile-long posts," she peered over his shoulder, "And I was right, that has to be at least six paragraphs long. Who's going to read that?"

"What's wrong with having something to say? At least I'm not ashamed of my membership to the forum, unlike someone."

The door handle clicked. "I can hear you two shouting from down the hall. What the hell is going on?" Daru asked.

"I think they're just teasing each other," Mayuri said.

The two scientists had ignored Daru. "So, Christina, who's your pairing of choice?"

"I'm a student, Okabe, I don't sit around and write fanfiction."

"Ah, don't be ashamed! How will I know if you're a good writer if I never get to read any of your works?" he looked so pleased with himself, and Kurisu knew she didn't need to indulge him, but she had a hot temper.

"You're the one who said I even wrote it, I never did," she said.

"What are you two fighting about?" Daru asked again. "Fanfiction? Kurisu writes fanfic?"

"No!" Kurisu turned to Daru. "Okabe just insists that I do."

"It's 'cause he likes to see your tsundere side," he chuckled.

Kurisu narrowed her eyes. "I am not a tsundere," she said under her breath.

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Okabe sing-songed.

"You two, stop ganging up on Kurisu," Mayuri said firmly. "Maybe she does write really good fanfiction!"

Kurisu rubbed her temples in frustration. "I don't, but...thanks, Mayuri."

"You're welcome," she chirped, continuing to sew. She took a seat next to her on the couch.

"What are you making?" she asked.

"A cosplay," she grinned. "Summer is when most of the cons are! Oh, you should come with me! I can make you a costume! You'd look cute in...a lacy dress, maybe? No…"

"Oh, you don't have to," Kurisu said. "I don't think I would look great in cosplay. But thank you for the offer."

"Trust me, Kurisu, you would look good in cosplay," Daru said.

She furrowed her brows. "Perv," she spat. "How do you deal with them?" she asked Mayuri.

"Okarin is just teasing you for fun, he's not trying to be mean. Same with Daru, don't worry," she said. "I know Okarin likes you a lot," her voice became a little quieter, as if she was sharing a big secret.

"How do you know that?"

"I know my Okarin," she replied. "Even if he doesn't tell me, I can tell how he feels about someone."

"You two are really close," Kurisu said, more to herself than Mayuri. "I guess he needs someone looking out for him, yeah?"

"We look out for each other," she said, squinting her eyes as she sewed a small detail onto the dress. "Ow!" she squeaked.

Okabe, who had been engrossed in a conversation with Daru, immediately looked to Mayuri when he heard her yelp of pain. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Mhm," she sucked on her finger. "Pricked my finger."

"Is it bleeding?"

"A little…"

"Fret not, my hostage, I will come to your aid," he said dramatically, making her smile. He searched the cupboards above the kitchen counters and eventually found a bandaid. He held her hand as he wrapped it around the small wound on her finger.

"Okarin, don't worry," she said.

"I am simply caring for my hostage. It's a mad scientist's job, after all," he said. "And there is one mad scientist with a kind heart...Hououin Kyouma!" he sounded exactly like a stereotypical mad scientist. Kurisu realized as he laughed boisterously, that he was simply trying to make Mayuri smile. Not that a small skin breakage on her finger was the largest pain the girl had ever experienced, but even such a little thing to her was a big thing to him. She found it very telling.

"How'd you even come up with that name?" she asked, simply out of curiosity. "Hououin Kyouma?"

"Come up with it? Why, Christina, you must be delusional. That is my name," he said.

She looked over to Mayuri for an answer. "I don't know," she shrugged.

"It will be an eternal mystery!" Okabe said, looking quite pleased with himself. Kurisu pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Maybe you should've been an actor," she murmured.

"I tried to get him to cosplay once, but he didn't seem to like it much," Mayuri said.

"It's not that I didn't like it," Okabe said, "I just didn't like that many people taking my picture. Who knows where those could end up…"

"Aw, don't be camera shy, Okarin," Mayuri smiled sweetly. "You're very handsome! Don't you think, Kurisu?"

She gulped, stalling a bit before answering. "I mean, it doesn't really matter, does it?" Mayuri looked like she was still waiting for an answer. "I mean, I don't think Okabe is bad looking…a lot of girls like the devilishly handsome look."

"Are you one of those girls, Kurisu?" Daru chimed in.

She crossed her arms, shrinking into the couch. "Shut up, will you?"

"It was a simple question," Daru replied. "If you thought he was ugly, I don't think you'd use the word 'handsome'."

She twisted up her face and didn't reply. When she dared to sneak a look at Okabe, he had a red tint on his cheeks. "I knew they made a good pair!" Mayuri clapped her hands together in delight.

Okabe cleared his throat. "I'm flattered, Christina. Thank you for the compliment."

She managed a half-smile. "You're welcome." She heard Daru murmur something involving the word "tsundere" again.

"Where's Kurisu today?" Ruka asked. Her and Mayuri were flipping through a cosplay magazine on the couch of the lab.

"She's giving her conference today," Okabe said.

"Are you going? You should!" Mayuri said.

"I could," he said, and he had thought about it. He wasn't sure if it would make her more nervous to have someone she knew in the audience, let alone someone like him.

The door was swept open and Kurisu nearly ran in. "I left my binder here," she said, breathless.

Okabe picked up a blue binder that was laying on the coffee table. "This one?" he asked. When he turned around to face her, he stopped in his tracks. Is it scientific that your heart beats faster when you see someone who's attractive? He thought. Kurisu was dressed in a cream colored blazer, light pink blouse, and a pencil skirt that matched the color of her blazer. Her hair fell on her shoulders in loose curls. She even had red lipstick on.

He stammered a bit. "Um, er, here's your binder," he handed it to her.

"You alright?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, you just surprised me," he said. "I wasn't expecting you to show up."

"Wow, Kurisu!" Mayuri said. "You're so beautiful!"

Ruka smiled as well. "Yeah, you look amazing!"

She looked away. "Oh, God, stop it."

"Really, though!" Mayuri said. "I bet the men at the science convention are gonna fall for you," she teased.

Kurisu brushed Mayuri's comment off with a laugh. "I'm not going to the convention to find a husband or anything. But thank you."

Okabe was trying not to stare at her, coughing briefly as he searched for words to say. "Best of luck to you," he said, painfully aware of his burning cheeks. "I'm sure you'll do well today."

"You'll do great!" Mayuri insisted. "I'm really not good with science stuff, but I know you're really smart!" Ruka nodded in support.

"Oh, honey, you're too sweet," Kurisu said. "I'll do my best. I really have to get going. I'm glad I found my binder," she turned to Okabe.

"Happy to help. Have a good time. Stop by afterwards if you can," he said. She began making her way to the door, and he found that words were tumbling out of his mouth faster than he could stop them. "Um, Kuri-er, Christina? You look nice." Real charming, he mentally chastised himself.

She looked back with a rapidly reddening face, mumbling "thankyou" in rushed, nervous English before leaving.

When Okabe felt his heart return back to its normal rate, he noticed Ruka was laughing. "What's so funny, Rukako?"

"I-I'm sorry," she tried to stop, covering her mouth. "It's you and Kurisu. Both of you had red faces the entire time you were talking."

"She may have, but I didn't!" he said. "Hououin Kyouma is not so easily affected by a pretty girl."

"So you think she's pretty, Okarin! I knew it, I knew it!" Mayuri just about sang with excitement.

"Nothing gets past you," Okabe sighed. Mayuri wore a smug little smile for a while after.

It was after ten at night when Okabe, now alone in the apartment, heard someone knock on the door. He opened it to find Kurisu, looking just a bit tired but no less lovely. "Good evening," he let her in.

"Sorry if I woke you," she said.

"The night is very young, Christina," he said. "I wasn't expecting you to show up."

"To be honest…" she said, plopping onto the couch, "I didn't want to go back to the hotel."

His brows furrowed. "You don't? I thought it would be relatively comfortable."

"It is. It's very comfortable," she said. "But it's so quiet. Everyone tip toes through the halls...there's barely any eye contact."

"I have nothing against you being here at the lab," he said. "I'll get a key made for you."

She slumped into the couch. "Thank you. It's just nice to be around other people. Even if they're as weird as you."

He huffed. "It takes one to know one. Isn't that an English expression?"

"It is," she said. "Where'd you learn that?"

"Probably in some English book I had to read in high school," he shrugged. "How was the conference?"

She sat on her heels, hugging one of the throw pillows to her chest. "Hm...I'm not sure, to be honest. I think my speech went okay. There were lots of other good speakers, too. I felt kind of...out of place, though. Yeah, I wrote an article and it ended up in some American science magazine. I'm honored that they chose me to speak, but after hearing all the others who were so eloquent and charismatic, it was like….what am I doing here? My dad was right-" she stopped in her tracks, closing her eyes for a moment. "Sorry. I think I'm just tired. A little overemotional, I guess."

"What were you going to say about your dad?"

She gripped the pillow. "It's not important," her voice was hoarse.

Okabe found himself torn. He was so, so bad at consolation. He stumbled over words and ended up sounding cliche and disingenuous. That's why he loved science and math; there were rules, there was concrete facts. There wasn't any of that in situations like this. And as much as he liked Kurisu, he couldn't for the life of him open his mouth and comfort her. Stupid, he thought, You're stupid and rude and have no idea how to talk to anyone. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to will away those thoughts. "Alright. Can I...get you something to drink? Water?"

"Do you have any tea?" she asked.

"I probably do," he searched through the cupboards and found an unopened box of teabags that Mayuri had gotten him a few months ago. It was in attempt to get him to drink something other than Dr. Pepper. "Yes, I have some herbal tea here."

"Anything is fine. Thank you. I just need something hot, you know?"

It wasn't his preferred method of self-care, but he understood. After he put the water on to boil, he sat cautiously next to her on the couch. "For the record…" he began. "I think you're amazingly intelligent. I'm glad I've gotten to know you, and I enjoy your company," he cleared his throat.

She smiled. It was a weary smile, but his words seemed to help. Thank God. "Look at you. I never knew you could be so...sweet."

"I'm far from sweet," he said. "Be not deceived, Christina. I'm simply speaking my mind."

"You should do it more often," she said. That whole prospect scared him. He saw speaking his mind as dangerous. He had too many feelings bottled up that he didn't care to let out.

The water was bubbling. He made her a cup of tea, pouring it into a cup with some anime girl on it. It was Daru's mug. "It's really hot. Sorry about the mug. It's Daru's."

She examined it, smirking a little. "I can tell."

"Do you need anything else?" She shook her head, holding the cup of tea close to her, taking comfort in the warmth of it. She went a bit quiet, sipping her tea and scrolling through her phone. The silence didn't hang in the air awkwardly, it settled around them. Okabe got off the couch and went back to the computer desk, flipping between homework and forums. The atmosphere in the room was different when he was alone, but it was a good different. A different he wanted to get used to.

It was nearly an hour when Okabe realized Kurisu had gone very quiet. He turned around, discovering Kurisu curled up on the couch, asleep. Her hair draped over her shoulders and partially over her face. He couldn't help but notice her skirt riding up above her knees. Don't be a perv, he chastised himself. He had never worn one of the things, but tight pencil skirts had to be uncomfortable to sleep in.

He tapped her shoulder, trying not to startle her. Her eyes fluttered open, disoriented for a few moments but not angry. "Oh god, I fell asleep," she whispered.

"It's okay," he said, "You can sleep here tonight, in my bed." Her eyes widened and her face turned red. "I mean...I'll sleep here on the couch, and you can take the bed," he quickly added, to not give the wrong idea.

She looked too exhausted to argue. "Okay," she rubbed her eyes, and arching her back. That couch was known for being hell on everyone's back, but Okabe didn't mind it. He was tall and lanky, back problems were guaranteed.

She walked with him to his bedroom. "That can't be comfortable to sleep in," he gestured to her formal outfit.

"It's not," she admitted. He went searching through his closet, finding a plain, clean t-shirt.

"You can wear this," he said, and she shifted her weight. Had she not been so tired, he would've made some sort of "tsundere" comment, but avoided it.

"Um, okay," she took the shirt.

He left the room and closed the door behind him so she would feel comfortable. He set up a few blankets and pillows on the couch for himself. He heard the door creak open and Kurisu stepped out in his t-shirt, which looked more like a short dress on her. It was a sight that made his heart skip a few beats. "Thanks again, Okabe," she said.

"It's fine," he said. "Sleep well, Kurisu." She gave him a look he couldn't identify. "What is it?"

"You called me by my name. Goodnight, Okabe." she said, walking back into his bedroom and closing the door.

A/N: Thanks again for reading! xoxo