It was amazing, thought Akihito, what could flash through your mind in just a second. The breakfast scene was unravelling before his inner eye…

… Fei was in the midst of his halting Russian when Akihito received the text message he had been aching for, and the rest had been a delicious, burning blur, overlaid by moments of supernaturally heightened awareness.

For instance Mikhail openly gazing at the Chinese and Fei not being able to return that gaze for long … looking anywhere, letting Alexej draw him into conversation, giving off heat like the surface of the sun, magnetic storms interchanging with darkly fluctuating patches of sudden insecurity … a spot of pink on both his high cheekbones, lips soft and slightly pursed, eyes wide and glowing, so dazzlingly pretty you could hardly stand to look at him.

Alexej. He could recall the following exchange between the two unlikely classmates in sharpest detail…

He had started it himself, he had promised it to Asami.

"Fei?"

The Chinese looked up at him, levelly. It was fun the way this powerful person took him so seriously…

"You're in danger. You have to go underground for some days."

"I can defend myself!" Fei immediately protested, shaking back his shiny black ponytail, risking a tiny glance at Mikhail, "I'm no girl!"

This was so silly, so obviously wanting to impress the blonde Russian, so delirious, carefree spirit-of-the-moment that it was difficult to suppress a laugh.

"Girls, nowadays, can very well defend themselves too, you … chauvinist!"

"Ok ok, Mr. P.C.," Fei returned playfully, forgetting his shyness, "please don't report me to the Women's Rights Federation … they'd … castrate … me…?"

…they'd drool all over you... but Aki hadn't said that out loud.

And then Alexej had spoken up from Fei's other side.

"You know where I've seen you before? You were with the Olympic men's Taekwondo team … I remember thinking Hong Kong had the prettiest Chinese girl that year…"

Fei bristled.

"Had it been the other way round, had you looked like a boy and wanted to compete with the women", Alexej continued, "you'd have been forced to do a gene test…"

Fei glowered at him.

"And what about you - did you have to do a gene test to prove you're human, and not some mollusc life form resulting from a nuclear reactor catastrophe?"

Alexej laughed.

"Touché, sweetheart - oops" - he apprehensively glanced at Akihito, remembering his lecture, maybe.

"You were really good - for a man at least…", he added jokingly, "only… you're used to other rules, aren't you? You would have won a medal, otherwise…those scoring judges were blind…"

"You were good, too", Fei smiled back, "I remember you too. You almost did win a medal, didn't you, bronze? In the 84 to 96kg free style?"

"Yes … if it hadn't been for that damn fat German, that Schmidt-von-Reichewitz…", the burly Russian grumbled, "that arrogant prick of an inbred aristo, currying favour with the chicks by taking on his wife's name 'Schmidt'… that goodie-goodie cheated, I just know it, he used some kind of nano particle body oil, the way he slithered out of my grip…that was ….inhuman…like an over lubricated dildo…"

"Oh no…not that rant again, Aljosha…!"

"Ok ok…keep your cool, Petja", Alexej muttered, "we're among men. Or I think so…?"

"At leg's length, a wrestler wouldn't stand a chance against an expert Kung Fu fighter", Pjotr hurriedly changed the topic, not wanting Fei to be reminded of lying completely exposed in front of them all, "what do you think?"

"Maybe not…but", Alexej grasped the Chinese, who gasped, "in close body combat you would stand none against me! And not only because you're a wee, mere", taxing Fei, "I'd say… featherweight! …hey!"

Fei had twisted out of his grip in a strange, snaky move.

"Welterweight, I'll have you know!"

"Ah, you just took me by surprise", Alexej lunged again, but Fei neatly rolled out of his way, coming into full body contact with Akihito.

Akihito flinched away in alarm, and Mikhail, too, stormed up, spilling his coffee…but Fei was looking relaxed as they hadn't experienced him yet, springing to his feet, alert, eyes sparkling, body taut…

"None. Of. That." Akihito used his megaphone voice. "Go trash someone else's digs, Mr. Wrestler's here preferably…"

"Sorry." Fei sat back down, no trace of insecurity just then, glancing proudly in the direction of Mikhail. "See?" he winked, blushing at addressing him directly, "other rules…"

And the blonde Russian had looked as if about to jump his love then and there - eyes brimming over with admiration and lust - wanting to test, perhaps, if the agile Martial Arts adept would twist out of his grip too…

….and seconds later Aki had slipped out of his apartment.

Takato was reasoning with the Russian, imploring.

"You can't go out like that … Pjotr has to be back now any moment, you can't do anything like that…"

"Oh he's a traitor too", Mikhail stormed, pacing, tearing at his golden hair.

"Easy there … there's absolutely no evidence of that …"

"He touched his nipples!" Mikhail's face had taken on a darkish hue, "I should have killed them both!"

Takato rolled his eyes - covertly though, the Russian was sweating out danger and power.

"You know I would even give Alexej some benefit of doubt! He's far too intelligent to fall for … that kind of stuff …"

The Russian wasn't listening.

"Let's phone him…"

"Can't…", Akihito spoke up, "I had Fei turn off his mobile, might be traced…"

Takato tried again.

"Misha, why don't you have some trust in Fei, at least? He seemed quite ok when they left … and we know him a little by now, he's not stupid, he's not weak, he can defend himself … and he's warned now…"

…but not of Alexej, easygoing, friendly, clever, strong Alexej - who surely wouldn't let him twist out of his grip a second time…

"You go for the Physics Institute, you know were it is?", Mikhail breathlessly instructed the two Japanese, the baggiest pair of sweatpants and a roomy wide sweat jacket of Akihito's still tight and short on him, "I'll take on his fraternity housing…"

- to be continued -