Yes, I am alive and no, I have not stopped writing. Bear with me please because a lot of stuff has happened in my life: I'm finally done with school and started college, for which I moved across half the world - literally. I moved from Germany to the states for a break year at junior college. I now live in California in order to make contacts and hone my drawing skills. As you can imagine, between finals, moving, starting college and FINALLY getting a boyfriend, I didn't have much time for writing. Right at the moment things have calmed down, but by summer 2016 I will already be moving again. I don't know where yet, but I really hope that I will be accepted at an animation university in France. Therefore, there might be another LOOONG Hiatus soon. I apologize so much to all of my fans. For now, please enjoy this little one shot, it was a request but I can't remember who requested it anymore. Too much has happened.

Title: 60 - Rejection
Characters: Kotake Testsuya; Yada Masaru
Genre: hurt/Comfort; Romance:Yaoi
Rating: T ... just to be safe

"No way I'd ever date you" Doremi sneered at the boy.

Her nose was high up in the air and she looked down at Kotake with a look that could only be described as disgust. The sneer on her face was all too wide and her eyes gleamed with hatred. She snorted one last time, before she turned around and walked away. Kotake was on the ground, lifeless. With those words, Doremi had shattered his heart and his life went with it.

Kotake shot upright in his bed. His face was sweating and his breathing was fast and heavy. Slowly, he recollected himself. It was only a nightmare.

He let himself fall back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. There she was again, smiling and calling his name. Her apple red hair was put in the usual two buns, her lips were spread wide and her eyes were gleaming. She was beautiful, as always.

"Can't forget about her?" A second voice popped up.

Oh yeah, that's right, he had almost forgotten; Yada Masaru was sleeping over today. It was an odd situation for both of them: usually, the only thing they had in common was the class they were in, but now, things were a little bit different.

"Like you're one to talk", the spiky haired boy gave back.

There was silence after this for a while, both boys being lost in their own thoughts. Was it really just yesterday when their eyes had met on the schools hallway? That must have been one of the oddest situations Kotake had ever been in. One glance had been enough for him to know what had happened to Masaru and to know that Masaru knew the same thing about him - a weird coincidence.

He looked at the boy on the floor. His eyes were deep and unreadable and his expression deadpan. He was always like this. His green hair was unkempt from having just woken up, but it still fell all the way down to his shoulders. For a change, he only wore an oversized grey t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Oddly enough, Kotake realized that he was quite good-looking, unlike himself and that mysterious, unreachable aura must be what drew the girls to him.

"Did I wake you up?" the boy in the bed asked.

"Don't worry about it. I have a light sleep so I wake to the tiniest noises."

Then the soccer player realized that it was still dark outside. He hopped off his bed and pulled back the curtains, only to be greeted by a starlit sky with a beautiful moon in its center. To him, it was a sight as beautiful as the girl he longed for and he knew that Masaru thought the same.

"It's mocking us", the green haired said.

"Tch! Why can't it be like the movies, where it's raining cats and dogs and everything is dull?"

Dull. That's how the two of them were feeling right now. Another silence spread over the room, becoming heavy and depressing, even though the night sky was so beautiful. Neither of the boys minded.

"I never thought she'd reject you", Kotake started. "The two of you seemed so close."

"We were close", the other boy sighed, "stuck somewhere between friends and lovers."

He closed his eyes and pictured her, with her long, beautiful brown hair, her big intelligent eyes and her petite figure. She was so weak, yet so strong. It had been an odd relationship. Neither had asked the other out, or confessed or – his face went red just imagining it – kissed. Yet, through some unspoken agreement, they had become like a couple. But then HE appeared; calm, mysterious and collected, just like him, though with less of an attitude. Weird clothing and orange hair with smarts to rival those of Hazuki's. Masaru opened his eyes again.

"I guess I waited too long", he said.

"And I probably didn't wait long enough", Kotake mused.

He had set his sights on the red haired girl for as long as Masaru had set his sights on Hazuki. Their relationship had been vastly different though, as the only way he knew how to handle Doremi was teasing, almost bullying. He had made her life miserable, so why should she like him? Had he confessed two or three years ago, she would have been mad at him because she'd think it a prank. Had he confessed one year ago, she would have laughed, thinking it a joke. But she had been soft and apologetic and gentle … so very different from his nightmare

"You two were close in other ways", Masaru spoke. "Close enough for her to consider your confession."

"You got turned down immediately?"

"Yeah."

"Ouch. That had to hurt."

"It still does."

Kotake looked at the boy sitting on the floor for quite a few minutes. His shoulders were surprisingly broad and his neck peeked through his hair. He let go of the curtains. Silently, he walked over to the futon and sat down next to him, mimicking his position. So, the two boys sat in the moonlit room, with their legs to their bodies, their arms on their knees and their chins on their arms.

"Yeah", Kotake agreed, "it still does."

Simultaneously, they sighed.

"Maybe …", Kotake thought out loud. "Maybe we're just too similar. You and Hasuki are both very quiet and don't talk much and Doremi and I are both loud and talkative and outgoing."

"Opposites attract, huh?" Masaru added.

"Y'know … we're opposites." The boy with the spiky hair said as he looked at his classmate.

Another long silence. Then, Yada Masaru returned Kotake's stare.

"I guess we are."

Odd indeed, but neither of the two minded. Instead, they moved their faces closer together, inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter. Masaru had his eyes closed first and through this entire attitude, Kotake found that he might be a lot softer than expected. That boy in front of him, with his strange male beauty, surprisingly broad shoulders and unsuspecting softness was so much more and so much less than what he had expected. Perhaps that was the reason that he closed that small gap in between them and locked their lips.

Who knew a boy could taste this good?