A/N- So, this one's for Sylvia Lee~! I never would have thought of shipping these two, but I guess it works pretty well. Maybe. It was really hard to write though, and I think I made Hiro-san act like Miyagi XD And I'm sorry, it was requested that they already be in an established relationship, but... that didn't really happen, obviously... OTL

Hope you guys enjoy~! ^^ (And remember, reviews = author food. And right now I'm kind of starving... jussayin')

6. Lessons (Hiroki x Shinobu)

"W-what do you mean, 'get lost'?" Shinobu was trembling, hardly daring even to look up at black-haired professor before him. Miyagi frowned and said, in a slightly agitated tone,

"I mean what I said. Get lost. I won't go out with you- because you're seventeen years younger, because you're my ex-wife's brother, because I'm straight." A tear fell down Shinobu's cheek, dripping to soak into the gray carpet below a moment later.

"B-but... It's fate, it has to be! There's no way it's not-!" Shinobu was cut off mid-sentence by a resounding slap across the face.

"Listen, brat. I told you- the answer's no. Maybe next time you'll find an even older, gay man to share your twisted affections- but not this time." And with that, Miyagi turned on his heel and stormed in the direction of his office, the slam echoing through the halls for a moment. Shinobu stood frozen in shock and horror for only a moment before turning and running. He wasn't sure where he was going, exactly, just as far away as he could get from the man who had broken her heart.

He hadn't run far at all, though, when he ran into someone walking in the other direction. A few books fell to the ground that the man had been holding, and Shinobu glanced up quickly, snapped out of his thoughts by the appearance of the man. He had light-ish brown hair, and his eyes nearly matched.

And to Shinobu's tormented heart, it was love at first sight.

"Will you tutor me?" Shinobu asked, his voice determined and sharp.

"No." Hiroki answered, almost before the question was all of the way out of the boy's mouth. "I'm not tutoring students right now. And- are you even in college yet?" Shinobu shook his head.

"I will be next year! I just needed some help with entrance exams and-" Technically, Shinobu didn't need any help at all. He was decently sure that he would do just fine with entrance exams, but that had been the first excuse he had been able to think of for a reason to see the professor again.

"What department are you considering going into?" Shinobu faltered. His dream previously had been literature, because that was what Miyagi taught, but now he wasn't so sure.

"I- I'm not sure yet, but probably literature." He said, puffing out his cheeks slightly. "I still have to get through my entrance exams though, so..."

"And you want to come to M University, I assume?" Shinobu nodded. "Why do you want me to tutor you, of all people? The professor I share my office with, Miyagi, would surely be glad to-"

"No! It... It can't be him. Please?" Shinobu ran a hand through his hair in agitation. Since he had been looking down and avoiding Hiroki's eyes since almost the moment he entered the room, this was the first time he had gotten a good look in the young man's eyes. His expression was set, and his eyes shone with a determination rarely seen in students. If this dirty blonde was really so determined to learn, who was Hiroki to stop him?

"I guess, if you really are serious about this, we might be able to make arrangements. But don't expect me to go easy on you, are we agreed, Takatsuki?" Shinobu nodded, relief and delight clear on his features.

"Thank you, Kamijou-sensei. I'll make sure to try my best."

Shinobu put down his pencil, confident that his essay was sufficient, before shoving the paper unceremoniously in the direction of his tutor. Hiroki skimmed over it, nodding slightly in satisfaction in between making a few red pen marks.

"Well... You made a few stupid mistakes-" Shinobu frowned at the blatant phrasing, "-but overall I'd say you're much improved." The dirty-blonde practically glowed at the words, but his mood quickly turned serious a moment later.

"Do you believe in fate?" He asked, watching the other man's expression closely. "Or destiny, or whatever you want to call it?" The professor shook his head.

"I don't. But I really don't see how my opinion is relevant to-" Shinobu stood up, slamming his hands onto the table on frustration.

"Well I do. I mean, why else would I have even met you, if not for that? Why else would I have been rejected only to run into you moments later? That has to be the reason, there's no other option- so why? Why do you act the exact same around me now as you did the day we met?" Shinobu leaned over the desk that was currently separating him from his tutor and yelled, stunning the other man into silence.

"I... I really don't see what you mean. If you were honestly just looking for someone to be your tutor, you're really being far too melodramatic to-" Shinobu, in a surprisingly daring moment, leaned the rest of the way over the table and closed the gap between himself and the older man, crashing their lips together sloppily.

"I wasn't just looking for a tutor, damnit! I... I was in love with Miyagi, but he refused to reciprocate my feelings. And I... I have no idea why the hell I started falling for you, but I did, and you clearly don't either, and... and..." Shinobu regained his seat, covering his face in his hands as the full impact of what he had done soaked into his mind.

"I'm sorry..." he mumbled, his words muffled by both his hands and by his inevitably oncoming tears.

"You... fell for Miyagi? You touched in the head or something?" Hiroki asked in a rather pointless attempt to lighten the mood between the two. "But... I'm gonna sound like a damn pedophile for saying this..." Shinobu looked up, eyes wide with the hope that maybe he wouldn't have to face rejection again. "Maybe your feelings aren't completely one-sided..."