A/N: Hello again! Are you ready for chapter 11? ;D Thank you all so much for your support, I can't believe I've almost reached a hundred reviews! Whaah, I'm so excited!

Also a huge thank you to the guest reviewers!

Visitor: I just…wow…I don't know how to thank you! Reading your review made a huge smile appear on my face! Thank you so so much! :D I really hope you'll continue to enjoy this story!

Anon: Thank you! I'm really happy to hear that! :D Well, Shinobu and Misaki just are adorable, aren't they? ;D

Bajusz: Thank you so much, I'm really glad to hear that! About the names and the way they address each other: you're absolutely right, I should be more consistent about it. I've decided I'm going to leave the –kun/-san etc. when they think of someone or when someone is speaking (with the exception of Hiro-san and Usagi-san, of course), because I feel like it's better for the flow of the story (and there's a lesser change of me making even more mistakes). I will make sure to add them when someone is addressing someone else, though :) I hope it will be better this way. I've paid attention to it while editing this chapter, and as soon as I have the time, I will check the other chapters as well. Thanks a lot for pointing it out! Don't worry about your English, it's good (and mine isn't perfect either). Thanks again for reading and reviewing and I hope you'll like this chapter as well! Kisses back from the Netherlands!

"…and he has this obsession with bears, which means there's a whole room filled up with them, and every time I try to clean it, all of those bears fall on top of me!"

There was an image in Shinobu's head of Takahashi under a huge mountain of stuffed animals, and it made him laugh so hard that he had to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"Usami-san sure has his weird sides," he said when he was able to breath normally again. "Miyagi's almost boring compared to him."

Takahashi nodded in agreement.

"Yes, at first I thought I wasn't going to survive his lessons, let alone living with him. But then…"

The boy's cheeks became a faint scarlet, and it wasn't difficult to guess what he was thinking about.

"Ooh, having good memories, Takahashi-kun?"

His face became a darker shade of red.

"S-shut up, Takatsuki-kun."

"No, tell me. I want details, details!" Shinobu said, voice higher than usual and hands fluttering like some overexcited girl.

Takahashi laughed and shook his head.

"Aw, come on!"

"N-no way!"

"I'm going to tickle you if you won't tell me!"

Takahashi let out a (very manly, of course) shriek and backed away from him, but Shinobu was faster. Within seconds, he had the other boy pinned down on the floor and started to poke his sides.

"N-no… stop! Takatsuki-kun, stop it!" Takahashi managed to get out between laughing.

Shinobu grinned.

"Not until you tell me!"

Takahashi shook his head once more, which resulted in Shinobu mercilessly attacking again. After finding out the boy's weak point were his feet, he continued to tickle there, until Takahashi finally gave in.

"Okay, okay…I-I'll tell you."

Satisfied, Shinobu drew back and gave Takahashi a moment to catch his breath. Then he asked again:

"So? What were you thinking about?"

Promptly, Takahashi's face was burning bright red again.

He's really innocent, isn't he?

"W-well, that's…"

Shinobu waited for the other to continue, but he stayed silent.

Worried that he'd done something wrong, Shinobu said:

"Hey, you don't have to tell me. It's fine if you really don't want to."

He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, though. It was his first time talking to someone who was in the same position, after all. Plus…

I guess…I want him to trust me.

Takahashi looked up, eyes slightly widened. Shinobu had noticed that he was really good at reading other people's emotions. Maybe he'd heard something in his voice…?

"No, it's not that, it's just…I'm sorry, those first memories are kind of…private."

Disappointment came welling up inside him, but then he thought of the first memories – that kind of first memories – he had with Miyagi, and he realized Takahashi was right.

These moments are private. Special. They aren't meant to share with someone.

He smiled.

"You're absolutely right, Takahashi. But-"

He grinned, and he noticed the other boy's look becoming a little worried.

"-there's no reason why you can't tell me about what happened during cooking last night!"

Takahashi's face became a mix between annoyance and embarrassment.

"Well, like I said, Usagi-san likes to…erm…"

"Attack you?" Shinobu suggested, using the same term he had before.

Takahashi blushed again, but nodded.

"Yeah, that. Well, he likes to do that while I cook dinner…or make breakfast…or lunch…or sometimes even when I'm just making tea! I don't know what he likes so much about it, but it's really annoying!"

Shinobu's smile faltered a little and he let out a sigh.

"Well, at least Usami-san is affectionate like that…It takes a lot more to get Miyagi into action. At first, I always had to be the one to initiate anything. I wasn't even sure if he loved me in the beginning…"

And sometimes, I still wonder…

He shook his head, annoyed. He shouldn't think like that. Miyagi had told him he loved him, right? And he had kissed him. On the street. The only thing that held Miyagi back was his fear, probably.

"Takatsuki-kun? Are you okay?"

He snapped himself out of it and smiled at Takahashi.

"Yes, sure, I'm fine. Where were we? Oh yes, you were telling me about Usami-san attacking you."

"W-well, there's not much to tell…" Takahashi stuttered. "He just snuck up behind me and scared the crap out of me, as usual. Then he wanted to know who I was texting with…"

He fell silent, as if suddenly remembering something. A guilty expression came over his face.

"What's wrong?"

Takahashi looked up at him, then quickly looked away.

"Erm…I'm really sorry about this, but…"

Shinobu was starting to get worried now. What could possibly make him look that guilty?

"…Usagi-san kind of read our texts."

When he noticed Shinobu staring at him, he hastily continued.

"I tried to stop him, really! But once he's set his mind on something…"

Shinobu couldn't help himself, he started to laugh.

"Wh-what?" Takahashi asked, confused.

"God Takahashi-kun, you really had me worried there! I thought something terrible had happened or something!"

Takahashi looked relieved.

"I thought you might be mad…since it was rather private and all…"

Sure, it had been pretty private – but there were worse things. Jeez, this guy…

"Don't worry, if I would get mad over it, then it wouldn't be at you. Though I have to say – your boyfriend can be really annoying sometimes."

Takahashi blushed a little at the word 'boyfriend', but then grinned at him.

"O yeah, definitely. Like, he never listens to me. I've told him countless times to stop smoking…"

"Urgh yeah, I'm trying to let Miyagi quit too. Actually, you gave me the idea. I should have said something about it before. After all, Miyagi's not getting any younger."

Takahashi's face suddenly lit up.

"We should think up some sort of anti-smoke plan!"

Shinobu nodded.

"Yes, that's a good idea."

"But what should we do to get them to stop?" Takahashi wondered.

"Now that's not so hard," Shinobu grinned. When the other boy looked at him questioningly, he declared:

"The only thing we have to do is to stop having sex with them!"

They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"I-I don't even want to think about what Usagi-san's mood would be like if I did that!" Takahashi managed to get out between laughs.

"Y-yeah, same here," Shinobu said, gasping for breath. "Still, it might actually work," he added in a more serious tone.

"Well, yes, probably…" Takahashi said, "but it would be my last resort."

"Oh, you'd miss it, wouldn't you?"

"S-shut up, Takatsuki-kun!"

When Miyagi opened the door of Shinobu and his apartment, the first thing he noticed was the smell of food. That wasn't very uncommon, since his lover usually prepared dinner around this time. The surprising thing was, it didn't smell burnt or…erm…suspicious. It actually smelt really, really good.

Then he noticed an extra pair of shoes.

Aha.

"I'm home!" he called out, before taking of his shoes and walking towards the kitchen.

As expected, Takahashi was there, together with Shinobu. Both were wearing aprons, but while Takahashi looked calm and relaxed, Shinobu had a concentrated expression on his face. His brow was furrowed and he looked determined to memorize everything the other boy said as he pointed out some things in an instruction book to him. The sight was pretty comical and Miyagi tried his best to stifle his laughter.

Apparently, he didn't completely succeed, since Shinobu suddenly looked up.

"Ah-Miyagi! Welcome home!"

Miyagi smiled at his lover, then turned to Takahashi.

"Nice to see you again, Takahashi-kun. I hope you're doing well?"

The boy smiled at him politely and nodded.

"Yes, I am, thank you. How are you, Miyagi-san?"

"I'm fine, thanks. Pretty tired though, and hungry. But dinner looks really good!"

He noticed the happy smile that crept onto Shinobu's face, and it made him feel good as well. His lover tried so hard for him, after all.

"It better look good, old man. We've worked really hard on it."

"I see. Thanks a lot, Takahashi-kun."

The boy gave him a shy smile.

"You're welcome, Miyagi-san."

Shinobu frowned at him.

"Oi, why don't I get a thank you?! I've worked hard too, you know."

"Yes, yes, I know," he said, and reached out to ruffle his lover's hair. When he wanted to withdraw his hand, though, Shinobu suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer.

"Wha-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Shinobu's lips were crashing into his.

"…That's how you greet your lover," he mumbled when they broke apart.

Miyagi could only stare at the boy, wide-eyed.

What's gotten into him all of a sudden? Yesterday he tried to take charge, and now this…?

From the corners of his eyes, he quickly glanced at Takahashi, who'd become a little red and apparently didn't know where to look. His eyes wandered through the room, until they landed on the clock.

"O crap! It's really late! I should go now, before Usagi-san murders me."

Takahashi hastily grabbed his bag and his coat, then turned to Shinobu.

"Just leave everything on the stove for a few more minutes."

Shinobu nodded and stepped away from Miyagi to walk the other boy to the door.

"Thanks, Takahashi-kun. I've learned a lot."

"T-that's okay. Thank you too, Takatsuki-kun," Takahashi answered. Then he added: "…I had a great time today."

Shinobu's face broke out into a grin, which surprised Miyagi. He never really saw him laughing like that, especially not at people he didn't know very well.

"Me too. We should do this again soon."

Takahashi grinned back enthusiastically and nodded.

"Yes, definitely!"

While the boys talked, Miyagi looked at them, a smile on his face.

Looks like Shinobu has found a great friend in him. I'm glad.

After Takahashi and Miyagi had said their goodbyes, the two boys disappeared into the hall. Miyagi let out a tired sigh and settled himself on the couch, leaning back and closing his eyes. Not too long after that he heard the door slam shut, followed by Shinobu's approaching footsteps.

Then he suddenly felt a weight on top of him and before he could process what was happening, Shinobu was already straddling him.

"Shinobu? What are you-"

He was cut off when his lover kissed him for the second time that evening. This time though, it wasn't a simple 'welcome home' kiss. Instead it was raw and impatient and full of desire.

Yes, I really wonder what's gotten into him.

Shinobu had always been enthusiastic, but this…

Just when he'd decided he would confront his lover with it, a pair of warm hands found its way into his shirt. The sensation made a shiver ran down his spine and distracted him from his thoughts. Soon he found himself kissing back, suddenly feeling just as impatient as Shinobu apparently was.

He softly bit on those beautiful pink lips, which earned him a satisfied moan. The sound alone made Miyagi feel better than he had all day. He pulled his lover even closer, tangling his hands into Shinobu's hair, and then moved his lips to the boy's neck, were he left a trail of kisses. After that he started kissing his jawline, his cheeks, his eyes, until he found those beautiful lips again, and they were full-on kissing once more, lips smashing together and tongues exploring each other's mouth.

When they really, really needed to catch their breaths, they pulled back, both panting heavily.

"Wow," Shinobu breathed.

"Yeah," Miyagi agreed.

That was definitely the best kiss we've had in a while. Apart from that one Shinobu initiated yesterday. Oh, and that one on the street…

He smiled.

"What?" Shinobu asked, still slightly out of breath.

"Nothing, just thinking we've had quite a lot of amazing kisses lately."

He leaned forward and captured his lover's lips again, this time for a short and sweet kiss. Then he slid his hands under Shinobu's T-shirt and pulled him in for a hug.

"I love you, Shinobu," he whispered.

Miyagi couldn't see his lover's face, but the tips of his ears were burning bright red, which brought a smile to his face.

I really can't imagine my life without him anymore. How can I ever have thought about rejecting him?

Sure, their relationship wasn't exactly…normal, and he was still worried about the day they would have to face Shinobu's parents and his ex-wife – and that day would come, he was certain of it – but there was no way he was letting go of this. There was no way he was letting go of him.

Shinobu's fingers had moved to his shirt again and were now working on the buttons, but Miyagi put his hand on top of the boy's.

"Maybe we should have dinner first? You and Takahashi-kun went to the trouble of making it, after all."

"Must you bring other people up right now?" Shinobu mumbled, face a mix between annoyance and embarrassment.

"I don't know about you, but I am really hungry. Plus this food smells too good to be ignored."

Shinobu snorted.

"I bet you wouldn't say that if I had cooked alone."

"That's…"

Crap, what can I say to that?

Shinobu huffed and turned around.

"It's fine, I'll get it. I hope it isn't burnt by now."

Miyagi let out a sigh.

Shit, I've hurt him now, haven't I?

"Shinobu."

He stopped the boy by pulling on the back of his T-shirt. Shinobu turned around.

"…what?"

Miyagi stood up and hugged his lover from behind.

"You don't have to be good at everything, you know. It's okay if you have to work a little harder to learn something every once in a while."

Cheeks burning scarlet, Shinobu turned his head away.

"I know that, old man."

"That's good, then."

He released the boy and watched him walk off to the kitchen.

There were a lot of things that still needed to be solved, Miyagi realized. He really had to talk to Shinobu about his…unusual behavior, for one. And Miyagi also needed to solve some things himself. How he was going to handle the PDA-thing, for instance. He hadn't had much time to think about it since last weekend, but it definitely hadn't left his mind. Especially not because Usami's words were still echoing around in his head:

"Isn't their whole relationship illegal?"

Although it wasn't (at least not anymore), it was still far from normal, and therefore quite risky. Both Shinobu and he could lose a lot when it came out. He absolutely didn't want to do that to Shinobu. And the mere thought of having to break up with his lover…

Let's not think about that for now.

"Miyagi! Could you get some plates out of the cupboard?"

"Yes! Coming!"

He smiled to himself. Yes, there would be plenty of time to worry later. Right now, he would just enjoy their evening together.

"Usagi-san! I'm ho-"

Misaki didn't have the time to finish his sentence, because a weight suddenly knocked into him and made him crash into the floor.

"U-Usagi-san!"

The man smirked and leaned down to kiss him. Soon his hands were all over Misaki's body, stroking his hair, trailing down his face, sliding under his T-shirt…

"Welcome home, Misaki," he huskily whispered into his ear.

"B-baka!" Misaki spluttered, trying to get up. He failed, of course.

Usagi-san's cold hands were roaming over his chest now, twitching one of his nipples, and Misaki couldn't stop himself from letting out a small moan.

"Enjoying yourself, aren't you?"

"B-Baka Usa-"

He was silenced by a pair of lips pressing against his own. Usagi-san licked his lower lip, asking for entrance, and before Misaki realized it he'd given in to it. The other man's tongue was exploring his mouth, and Misaki could feel himself getting swept away, as usual. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around Usagi-san and pulled him a little closer.

This earned him a surprised look and a chuckle from the other man.

"…I assume you and Takatsuki-kun had a good time?"

Misaki blinked a few times, surprised.

"What do you mean?"

Usagi-san smiled.

"Well, you're not resisting half as much as you normally do, so I just figured you had a nice day."

Then, expression turning a little sour, he added: "You were awfully late, though. Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"

Misaki averted his eyes, suddenly feeling very guilty.

"I-I'm really sorry, Usagi-san…I was helping Takatsuki prepare dinner and I forgot the time…I didn't mean to make you upset…"

I'm always causing him trouble, aren't I?

Then, to his surprise, Usagi-san smiled and pulled him close.

"It's alright, I'm just glad you're home. Plus you can make it up to me now…"

Before he could do so much as blink, the author was kissing him again, even more passionately now. Soon Usagi-san's hands were traveling lower and started to work on the button of his jeans. Just when Misaki decided he would give in to it, just this once, a sudden move from Usagi-san caused him to move as well – and the pain in his back made him realize they were still lying on the floor.

"U-Usagi-san…can we maybe…move?"

The novelist looked up at him, surprised.

"Why?"

Why, do you ask?!

Misaki shot up, pushing Usagi-san off of him a little.

"Why? Because I'm not going to have sex on the floor!"

Usagi-san stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Wh-what? It's not that strange!"

"No, sorry, it's just…" Usagi-san started, whipping the tears from his eyes, "…your face just now was really funny…You looked so indignant!"

"W-well, yeah, everyone would look indignant if they got pushed down on the floor when they entered their home," Misaki huffed.

Usagi-san smirked.

"Nope. You should be used to it by now."

"What's that supposed to mean? And by the way, why did you push me down? I know you're impatient, but…"

Normally, he's not that impatient.

Suddenly worried, Misaki studied Usagi-san's face intently.

Did something happen…?

Usagi-san's expression turned dark.

"…I got a phone call."

Misaki waited for him to continue, heart beating a little faster than usual.

"It was from Ijuuin-sensei. He told me he'd made an appointment with you. Is that true, Misaki?"

Misaki wanted to deny it, wanted to tell Usagi-san that he absolutely didn't have any intentions of seeing Ijuuin again. But one look into the man's worried eyes, and he knew he'd never be able to do that. So he just nodded and averted his eyes.

"I'm really sorry, Usagi-san…He emailed me and asked me to come over. I wanted to decline his invitation, but Ijuuin-sensei said I could bring Todou-kun, and he'd been so sad since his girlfriend broke up with him…So I wanted to cheer him up a bit."

He looked up at Usagi-san again, whose expression had become a little softer.

"I really didn't plan on meeting up with him again, Usagi-san! But at least I'm with Todou-kun, so…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Usagi-san had pulled him into a hug.

"U-Usagi-san?"

"You really are too kind, Misaki," the novelist said, while stroking his hair. Misaki let out a sigh, relived that Usagi-san wasn't mad at him.

That certainly went much better than I expected.

They stayed like that for a little while, until Usagi-san broke the silence.

"I've told you I would trust you, and I will, Misaki. It's just…I can't help but worry about you. Ijuuin-sensei sounded like he had some sort of plan, and I don't know whether he's really plotting something or that he's just trying to get under my skin."

Plan…?

Misaki really hoped that Ijuuin hadn't been serious about that. Suddenly, he wished he could just cancel the appointment.

But no. He'd promised Todou. Plus, his friend would be with him all the time, wouldn't he?

"Just…promise me you'll be careful, Misaki."

He nodded, until he realized Usagi-san couldn't see that.

"…I promise, Usagi-san."

"Good."

Suddenly smirking again, the man picked him up and threw him over his shoulder.

"U-Usagi-san?!"

"What?" the novelist asked innocently. "You still haven't made up for the fact that you were late, have you?"

This baka…

"S-Stop! Usagi-san! Put me down!"

The man simply grinned at him in response.

"Nope."

When Misaki opened his mouth to yell at him again, he was silenced with a kiss. His eyes fluttered close and when he opened them again, Usagi-san was staring at him with a satisfied expression on his face.

Knowing perfectly well where this was going, Misaki tried: "B-but we haven't had dinner yet!"

As expected, Usagi-san merely smiled.

"Dinner can wait."

"Hmm…Hiro-san," Nowaki mumbled in his lover's hair. "You were amazing tonight."

"S-shut up, you baka!"

He chuckled to himself. Even though he couldn't see Hiro-san's face, he could perfectly imagine what it looked like right now: red, embarrassed, and absolutely, undeniably cute.

"But it's the truth," he whispered. Then, when it stayed silent, he added: "I love you, Hiro-san."

The older man mumbled something inaudible, and Nowaki wasn't sure if it was something affirmative or another of Hiro-san's biting remarks. He wouldn't really mind, though.

After all, they'd had amazing sex two days in a row. More importantly, he'd hear Hiro-san say 'I love you' yesterday, just like that, without any excuses or calling him 'baka'. Not matter how much Nowaki loved that reluctant side of Hiro-san, it was nice to hear him voice his feelings seriously and honestly once in a while. On top of that, Hiro-san had even told him that he'd always love him, and no one else.

Those words had been enough to fill him with a happiness that would last a lifetime.

Sure, he'd been hurt and jealous and scared upon hearing just what kind of past his lover shared with Usami-san. But he knew he hadn't the right to feel that way, because there had never been an actual relationship between the two men. More importantly, Nowaki hadn't even been in the picture at that time.

And Hiro-san's declaration had taken away all of his doubts and worries.

Nowaki sighed contently and let himself fall down on the mattress, while reaching out his left hand to stroke Hiro-san's hair. He wished they could stay this way forever – just Hiro-san and he in their own perfect little world.

But…we really can, can't we? We've been together for a long time, and now I know we'll always be…

Then he realized he'd never actually said that to his lover.

"Hiro-san…"

"Hmm?" his lover replied, sounding half-asleep already.

"I want to be with you forever, too."

Hiro-san shot up, suddenly fully awake again.

"B-baka! You don't need to say such things!"

Nowaki couldn't suppress a grin upon seeing his lover's current state: hair tousled, eyes still a little sleepy, cheeks red and lips swollen from kissing.

I can't imagine someone or something more beautiful than Hiro-san. It's simply not possible.

The urge to kiss him was overwhelming, so Nowaki gave in to it. When they broke apart, Hiro-san's face was even more flushed.

"…what was that for?"

Nowaki grinned.

"Just admiring your beauty."

"B-baka! How can you do that with your face so close-"

He stopped when Nowaki moved forward again, his nose almost touching Hiro-san's.

"Because I can see your eyes better right now, Hiro-san. They're such a beautiful, special colour. And I can see your skin…" He stroked the man's left cheek with a finger, and noticed to his satisfaction that his lover couldn't suppress a little shiver.

"And your lips, of course…They're nice and pink, and so soft…" He let his finger move towards them, then closed the gap between Hiro-san and him by pressing his own lips against his lover's.

The kiss was soft and sweet, and when they broke apart Nowaki pulled Hiro-san close and sighed contently.

I must be the luckiest man alive.

Then he suddenly realized something. If Hiro-san and he would always be together, than did that mean…?

"Hiro-san?"

"Hmm?"

"We'll always be together, won't we?"

Hiro-san groaned a little.

"I knew I shouldn't have said that to you," he mumbled.

"That's mean, Hiro-san!"

His lover looked up at him and then quickly looked away again, face flushing a little.

"I-I already made that clear, didn't I?!"

"Yes, Hiro-san!"

At the excited tone in his voice, the other man looked up again, and Nowaki gave him a wide grin.

"Then does that mean that I can finally meet your parents?"

A/N: …Does that count as a cliff-hanger? I suppose it does…I'm sorry! Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! There were quite a lot of making out scenes (the most I've written in one chapter so far) and not very much action/drama, but don't worry: there will be soon! The next chapter will take place on Wednesday, which means… it's the day of the appointment with Ijuuin! I'm really excited about writing that, ha ha xD I can't promise when I'll update, thought, since I really need to start studying right now (I don't want to…). But I'll try to write in the evenings :)

As always, please let me know what you think! Your reviews make me smile and keep me writing :D Until next time!