Notes: This is the final chapter of 'Satisfaction'! Thank you for reading all the way and thank you to people who have been kind enough to leave feedback and favourite the story. :D I love AtoYuu to bits so thanks for giving Atobe and Yuuta a chance, despite the fact that they're like crack on legs XDD;

The sequel to this story is called About Us and I'll start posting it here some time in the next few days XD It follows on straight afterwards this story, so it's almost really just a change of name but a continuation of the same events, except with more meddling from Gakuto and Oshitari and a little more exploration. :D;

Reviews: Would be lovely, thank you. :D

Satisfaction

Chapter 20

By Miki

"Mizuki?"

The boy looked up from his paper to see Hanashima, head slightly tilted in curiosity.

"Oh, you're back," he stated blandly, ignoring the look of confusion on Hanashima's face.

"Thank you for watching the desk, Mizuki. Did anything happen?" was the brisk response, Hanashima never being a very curious person for long.

Mizuki fiddled with the pen in his hand, eyes watching the clock on the wall. "No, nothing much."

"Okay," Hanashima responded, though he was rather disinclined to believe Mizuki. There was something in the way the boy's shoulders slumped that suggested he was less than happy. "Well, do you want to go now? Or do you mind watching the desk for a few more minutes? I still have a few people to call."

Mizuki shrugged, pursing his lips and clicking the pen in and out, in and out. He really couldn't be bothered doing anything right now, so sitting at the desk really wasn't that much to ask of him. Besides, he was sure everyone else was doing something with someone else right now.

Yanagisawa and Kisarazu were up in their rooms and Akazawa was with Nomura and Kaneda, doing something…

Mizuki couldn't remember what Akazawa had said when he'd questioned him, but it was something vaguely related to Nomura's glasses. Why it took three people to fix a pair of glasses – provided that was what they were doing – was beyond Mizuki, even when one accounted for the obvious lack of intelligence between the three of them.

Anyway, he didn't think Akazawa had the creativity to think up fibs, so he was resolved to sitting at the desk while everyone else occupied themselves.

Stabbing his pen into the pad of paper in front of him, he cursed Atobe and wished all his hair would fall out. It would serve him right to look like a bald-headed monkey after all.

(S)

Mizuki was still trying to think up ways to curse Atobe when, a few minutes later, the lobby doors opened again.

If he'd been expecting Yuuta – which actually, he wasn't – then he'd have been disappointed. Certainly, it was a Fuji who waltzed in, but it wasn't the right Fuji. Had the white nurse's uniform and high heels not given it away, the smile most definitely did.

"Mizuki," Fuji smiled, not at all taken by surprise by the unexpected face at the counter.

"Fuji," Mizuki returned; a slightly bitter look on his face as his mouth seemed to automatically recall the taste of salt in his tea.

"I wonder, is my dear brother in?" Fuji purred, and Mizuki smiled back.

"No."

If he wasn't going to have Yuuta for the evening, then neither was Fuji and his… abominable whatever-it-was that he was wearing.

"No?" Fuji repeated, the answer apparently catching him off-guard since he opened his eyes and scrutinised Mizuki.

The action made the other boy feel distinctly uncomfortable as his body remembered the number of times it had preceded what turned out to be… rather unpleasant events.

"No, I do believe he's with Atobe," Mizuki spat out, disgusted.

Fuji seemed to consider his answer for a moment, and then hopped up rather nimbly to sit on the counter.

"W-what are you doing?" Mizuki demanded quickly, his temper overcoming his sense of self-preservation for the moment.

"Waiting for Yuuta, of course," Fuji replied, looking down at Mizuki now and continuing to smile.

His wicked blue eyes stayed open as he peered at Mizuki. "I don't suppose you want to play a game while we wait, do you?"

Mizuki didn't want to. But whether or not anyone had wanted or even asked for his attentions had never stopped Fuji from bestowing them. It was rather a waste to have dressed up for nothing, he thought, and playing with Mizuki was always amusing enough in its own right. Besides, Mizuki apparently shared more in common with Yuuta than he'd previously thought…

One would have to teach him that trying to look up skirts was most ungentlemanly behaviour.

(S)

Atobe fidgeted restlessly; hand running across the spines of the books on the shelves in front of him. There was nothing he wanted to read, nothing he wanted to look up, nothing he wanted to borrow…

He hadn't really wanted to come to the library; it was more that he just didn't want to go home right now. There probably wouldn't be anyone at home besides the servants, and one could hardly converse with most of them on an intellectual level.

He'd thought about asking Kabaji over, but then… By the time he'd really thought about it, he was already halfway here and it had seemed stupid to change his mind since either way, he'd still be wasting his time.

Still, there were only limited ways to pass the time in a library, and Atobe found himself again running his fingers across the spines of the books as he read their titles. Were the books here always so boring? Somehow, there just wasn't anything on the shelf that he wanted to read at all. Everything was either the wrong genre, wrong author or he'd read it before.

Still, he stopped as his fingers reached the 'M' section and he recognised some of the titles there.

Mann, McEwan and Miller… Miller, he'd recommended to Yuuta, but he'd never actually asked if Yuuta had liked it or not.

Atobe frowned, putting his fingers to his forehead in thought. Why couldn't he stop thinking about Yuuta? It was almost like his brain was hardwired. He couldn't stop checking his phone, checking his watch, checking the time; wondering if Yuuta was back at the dormitory yet, and if he'd seen the book he'd left there, and what his face looked like…

Atobe couldn't help but wonder what sort of expression he'd have… Whether he'd look surprised, or annoyed, or maybe he'd just scowl and shove his hands in his pockets and walk off…

His chest felt tight again thinking about it, and he loosened his tie a little – something that was becoming more of a habit lately. He could swear if he didn't hurry up and do something about it, he was going to have a heart attack before he was twenty.

Everything felt hot and tight and horrible.

He was sure he looked bad too.

No doubt about it, anyone who saw him would probably wonder what on earth he'd been doing. Perhaps he should find the bathroom and do something about his hair… It must look terrible by now, and he hadn't even bothered to moisturise his hands after practise, and oh, where was a comb when you needed one?

As he turned, there was a distinct thump at the end of the aisle and he blinked; eyes focusing quickly on the boy standing and staring back at him.

And then his mouth moved instinctively of its own accord.

"Yuuta."

Almost like an echo, he heard his own name on the other boy's lips…

Quieter and less certain, but it was there, and he heard it.

"I…" He began quickly, hurrying to speak before Yuuta. "I… How did you know I was here?"

Yuuta scowled a little, looking away. "Mizuki told me," he muttered, and Atobe realised his face was quickly turning pink.

"Ah…" he said, willing his heart to stop thumping so hard in his chest.

Mizuki…

Changing the topic quickly, he began nervously. "About the message…"

"I got it," Yuuta interrupted quickly.

"Oh."

Atobe watched Yuuta for a moment, desperately wondering what he was thinking right now. He would give almost anything just to be able to know if Yuuta was even thinking about him…

But then, they were here, and they were talking, and wouldn't that mean Yuuta had to be thinking about him? And he'd gotten here so quickly as well.

Suddenly, taking in Yuuta's dishevelled appearance, Atobe wondered if he'd run. Was that possible? The thought that maybe Yuuta had chased after him gave him the tiniest amount of hope, that maybe… Maybe it wasn't just him?

He knew from the way Yuuta's lips were moving, that he really wanted to say something, but he wasn't ready to hear Yuuta tell him 'no' just yet.

He really had to tell him first; just in case… there was a sliver of a chance he could change the other boy's mind.

"Yuuta…" he began tentatively, taking a step closer, "I… You know, I haven't seen you for a while. I was starting to wonder how you were."

Yuuta opened his mouth to reply but Atobe cut him off quickly again, realising his mistake. "Of course… I imagine you've been really busy, but I just thought… Well, the thing is that…" He licked his lips, looking away from Yuuta as he pushed a hand into his pocket. The other tightened around the book he held, his sweaty fingers pressing into the paperback and slipping against its shiny surface.

"Um… I… that is…" he struggled, shutting his eyes and hurriedly swallowing.

Since when was talking to someone so incredibly hard? He felt like one of those stupid idiots who got up on stage to speak; words in his mind – practised until they became automatic – but dying on his lips when suddenly faced with an audience.

Atobe Keigo didn't hesitate like this. It wasn't like him. It wasn't him at all.

There was utter silence around them, and for a moment, he had a sickening feeling in the bottom of his stomach that maybe Yuuta had just disappeared.

"I'm sorry for making things weird," he finally blurted out, looking across again at Yuuta.

He almost felt relieved the boy was still standing there. And then…

"If it's okay with you, could we go back to… doing things like before?"

Oh, shit.

The words were out of his mouth before he'd realised it. Like an automatic defence mechanism. Exactly the words he hadn't wanted to say. Exactly what he didn't want to happen.

What was wrong with him? He sounded like an idiot!

"Actually…"

Yuuta's voice was almost inaudible. He cleared his throat awkwardly, taking a few steps closer to Atobe, making the boy want to step back just to clear the space between them again.

He didn't want things to be ambiguous between them. Maybe if things were going to be like this… Maybe he should… draw a line somewhere… Where was the line in the beginning anyway? When had they both stepped over it?

Or had they both? Maybe it was just him…

"Actually," Yuuta spoke again, and Atobe would have jumped out of his skin, suddenly realising Yuuta was right in front of him, except that he was Atobe Keigo and he'd had more than enough practise pretending to ignore everyone and everything around him.

Except… Somewhere along the way, his plan had become irrelevant…

"I didn't, you know… I didn't mind it when you did that."

And somehow Yuuta had become someone he couldn't ignore. And –

"Huh?"

Atobe blinked.

He stared at Yuuta's face.

He was about the colour of a tomato – ears included.

"I said," Yuuta repeated, voice becoming a little more assertive and sounding a little grouchy, "I said that… that I… I didn't hate it when you did… that."

"That…" Atobe repeated, hardly willing to believe Yuuta was thinking about the same thing he thought he might possibly be thinking about.

"How many times do you want me to say it?" Yuuta snapped, the scowl returning to his face as he glared defiantly at Atobe.

"Oh," Atobe said, staring back at Yuuta.

He wondered why he hadn't ever noticed before… that when Yuuta scowled, his eyes weren't actually angry at all. His face was scowling, but his eyes were just those of a teenage boy – just like he was – just a little bit… scared… hesitant…

They stood awkwardly; each unsure of the other.

"Then –"

"I –"

Atobe didn't think it was possible for any more blood to rush to his head. His heart was hammering in his chest like he was running a marathon and stumbling for the finish line and he was almost there… Like he was playing a six-setter and struggling to raise his arms and throw his weight behind the ball. Like he nearly had what he wanted but suddenly he was afraid he might not be able to reach it.

Oh.

Another minute of this and he was going to go into cardiac arrest.

"Can I –" he questioned tentatively, watching as Yuuta flinched a little.

For a moment, that sinking feeling was back in his stomach again, a twinge of pain running through his chest to his fingertips. And then Yuuta mumbled out "yeah," and Atobe nervously shuffled his feet and closed the gap between their bodies.

Yuuta's chest felt hot against his. His shirt felt damp where Atobe pressed a hand. He could feel the firmness of Yuuta's body. He could see the colour of Yuuta's eyelashes against his skin as he closed his eyes. And he felt the heat of Yuuta's lips as he gently pressed his own to them.

The rush of adrenaline and the cold sweat of his run against Yuuta's skin made him shiver, and Atobe tightened his hand against the boy's body, almost afraid to shut his eyes just in case he missed anything.

Yuuta opened his eyes as Atobe pulled back, and Atobe recognised the hesitant look on Yuuta's face; questioning, curious, and just a little bit worried. He kissed him then, again; lips just a little bit firmer than before, and just a little less nervously.

Awkwardly, uncertainly, they fumbled a little as Atobe tried to tilt his head and their noses bumped. The motion broke their kiss as Yuuta suddenly pulled away and Atobe realised the boy was laughing.

"What?" he demanded quickly, almost surprising himself with the speed at which his lips moved.

Yuuta shook his head quickly; cheeks and ears still a bright red as he grinned.

Maybe it was the tension of the moment suddenly ebbing away; dissipating as they both realised what they'd just done, or maybe it was because suddenly Atobe's chest was filled with a different kind of feeling…

But then before they knew it, Yuuta was laughing again, and Atobe couldn't help but smile back. Really smile.

He still wasn't sure where this was going, and he knew Yuuta wasn't sure either. But now they were in it together. And the feeling in his chest – it wasn't tightness or pain, or anxiety or stress or anger or even fear…

This swelling feeling… like suddenly he was breathing properly, like his lungs might burst they were so full, like he was drowning in air… He'd almost forgotten what it felt like.

It wasn't the pride he felt when people called his name. It wasn't the superiority he felt when he walked onto the tennis court. It wasn't even the sense of satisfaction he felt when he played a game and won.

Standing in the library, watching Yuuta laughing for no reason at all… Seeing the pink of his cheeks and the write, bright light reflecting on his clear, grey eyes… Those eyes which were watching him…

Smiling at him…

The feeling wasn't anything to which he'd become accustomed at all; it was something else entirely.

For the first time in a long, long time, Atobe realised it wasn't just satisfaction.

It was more than that.

It was happiness.

.fin.