A/N: i think i'll wrap this up in 10 chapters - so apologies if the chapters are a bit lengthy to fit all of my nutty ideas inside. Hope u enjoy it!

…

Chizuru was floating on air the minute she woke up again this morning. Now that she knew her secret boyfriend was ignoring her out of safety and not disillusionment, the heavy feeling she had been feeling in her chest for the last several days right after their secret phone call. It was time to change uniforms now. She woke up early to try on her summer uniform. She liked the lightness of wearing her short-sleeved collar shirt instead of her shirt jacket; having it tucked in gave her a sense of looking just slightly more feminine in a school uniform originally designed for men. Chizuru gave herself another look over in the mirror, staring at her reflection with a sincere expression. Maybe Harada-sensei would compliment her...?

Her gleeful expression suddenly morphed into a small frown, remembering their new arrangement. They still had to pretend to be just teacher-student even in private now, to her dismay. But…at least he was still deciding to be with her. He was going through a lot just to prove his love for her, so she could do as she was told for now. And, there were some upsides about being at arms' length from him. For one, they were much safer from the risk of them being caught inside of the school.

And secondly, Chizuru now recalled with a slight blush, she could expect more nightly phone calls from him to make up for his lack of presence during the day. She was kind of pleased with that.

Another nice change she liked too was that although he wasn't able to look at her too long directly or even sneak glances per his habits, it didn't mean that she could never do it. Chizuru felt a little guilty for saying it, but being able to openly gawk at her handsome boyfriend during class without him being able to retaliate was a selfish but pleasurable activity for her. She was becoming emboldened by the act of looking into his eyes for longer than a few seconds, and even noticed things like how on certain days when he looked tired in the morning it typically meant he went out drinking the night before. Or the days when he arrived into homeroom with some stubble on his face which…also likely meant he spent the night out before drinking.

She giggled to herself as she smoothed the flyways of her hair one last time and grabbed her schoolbag before leaving her bedroom. She checked the clock in the kitchen as she walked through for good measure. It was a little early to knock on Heisuke's door she thought, so maybe she had some time to toast some bread for breakfast. Just as she plunged down the toaster's handle, a sharp knocking at the door stirred her from her thoughts.

Chizuru frowned. With her father gone she rarely received guests, and certainly no one had ever visited her this early in the morning except..

She walked to the front door and opened it, the blinding light of the morning sun behind him partially shielding Heisuke's smiling face.

"Good morning! Did I surprise you" Heisuke said quickly and then relieved a sigh, expertly stepping past Chizuru and into the home without brushing against her. Chizuru's dumbfounded look continued as she closed the door behind them both and followed after Heisuke, who was making a beeline to the kitchen. "I smell toast! Do you have more? Is there any jam?"

"Just butter."

"Really? Can I have some?"

"S-SUre.."

Her head was already spinning from his excessive energy so early in the morning. Yet, she offered him a small smile and a nod and went back fishing for the loaf of milk bread. Heisuke was her childhood friend, so of course while it wasn't uncommon for Heisuke to come over to her home sometimes, he rarely if ever did it once they started attending the same school. And he usually asked the night before, which made this occurrence odder. Still, he tried her best to keep her voice free of worry as she pulled out another slice of bread. It was easy to just let it slip into place while the toaster was still going; she could just eat the less finished piece instead.

"Um…Heisuke-kun? Why are you up so early?" She offered him another, if not slightly unnerved, smile.

Heisuke stared at her for a moment. His lips were moving like they couldn't decide what to say and his feet were rocking his weight back and forth on his heels. He scratched at his head for a moment and swore aloud, snatching his crossbody bag off his shoulder and letting it hit the floor of the kitchen.

Then, he bowed suddenly, and deeply. "Chizuru, I owe you an apology!"

She flinched, taking a step back in surprise. "W-What do you mean? And please Heisuke-kun, raise your head!"

He didn't move. "Not until you forgive me!"

"Err…you haven't told me what for yet…?"

At her sheepish reply, his head shot up suddenly. "C'mon Chizuru, you don't have to lie to me, remember? You've been feeling down and staying quiet these past few days. I know it's because of that stupid prank Souji pulled us all into during lunchtime. And then he made it even worse by saying all of those rude things …"

She blinked a few times as her mind recollected that past incident, and suddenly her face heated up. She must've made it seem as though her moods were low because of their occasional teasing, instead of her…ahem, guy troubles.

So she hid her face behind one hand and patted Heisuke on the shoulder soothingly and he looked up at her. "I'm not….mad at you…or anyone. J-just maybe…embarrassed…"

He grasped her by the shoulders with wide eyes. "Really!? You aren't mad? Promise?"

Chizuru nodded, feeling herself finally exhale when his grip on her loosened. Although he wasn't yelling anymore, he didn't seem really relieved by her assurances. His big, sad eyes tugged at her heartstrings. The sound of the pop of the toaster drew her attention away as she hurried over to butter it while it was still hot. "It's okay Heisuke…" she trailed off, focusing.

She was careful not to be too heavy-handed with her quick smear of the already melting soft butter. She wrapped it carefully in a clean napkin and turned to offer it to him with a smile, noticing the unease on his face melt away at the sight of food. She spent an extra moment changing her shoes before she and Heisuke hurried off to make it past the gates in time.

Thankfully, eating was a perfect excuse to stay silent for some time as they walked slowly. But Chizuru was still perplexed as to why the atmosphere felt so heavy when she had already accepted his apology. The entire situation hadn't really been weighing heavily in her mind compared to her fears regarding Harada-sensei's avoidance. But now having to replay it over again mortified her. Okita-senpai had been acting suspiciously towards her too back then. And Heisuke was someone that knew her very well-if he was doing all of this, he must have been troubled by it for sometime.

The thought of leading Heisuke on with her double life did sting her in the heart if she ruminated on it for long but was usually somewhere nearby to say something cheerful or remind her why it was better to wait. She was thankful for him in moments like that to keep her focused.

But beside her, Heisuke, who had already finished snacking, was staying quiet for an entirely different reason. He tried to sneakily catch a glance at her, and then around their surroundings. They were on time today, so running into Okita on the way to school would be unlikely and so if he was brave enough maybe he could finally confront her...and ask her the real question on her mind. And if she dodged the question then he promised he'd let it die. But it had been bothering him for awhile now-he just had to know…

"Uhm…Chizuru?" His eyes watched her absent stare ahead with gentle admiration.

It took her a few seconds to register what he said. Chizuru's brown eyes blinked over at him, swallowing to clear her palate. "...Hm?"

"So…not to keep beating a dead horse but…Souji was definitely lying when he said all of those things…right?"

"What?"

"About what he said…at that time…"

"O-Oh…" Her thoughts were muddled as she finished off her breakfast snack. It was weird for him to bring this up now-she had worried over her reaction timing that day if anything, but not over what Souji-senpai had said. He always teased her and she was fairly used to it, why was Heisuke now so suddenly interested in it? She finally caught his heavy stare and swallowed again. He was seriously asking.

Chizuru blushed. What an odd topic to fixate on!

Heisuke was waiting with baited breath for her answer, the absence of oxygen in his lungs starting up a familiar burning sensation even as his heart pounded wildly in his heart. "But Chizuru…it's okay if-"

"It's okay." She said suddenly, feeling sudden heat spread from her face into her neck. "I mean-I've never…let anyone…" The sun was shining brightly today and she had no jacket-she felt exposed. There was nowhere to hide the expression on her face so he turned her entire face away from Heisuke. How embarrassing. She told the truth, however. She had never let anyone see her in that state of undress before.

Yet?

And the thoughts of when were intrusively entering her mind with repressed eagerness.

Ugh, this is so embarrassing! She fanned her face and threw quick, nervous glances in Heisuke's direction but to her surprise she found that he wasn't even looking her way. He was staring straight ahead, looking oddly relieved for some reason.

"O-Oh…" The long exhale that followed Heisuke's voice emptied out into their silence, as the outline of the school slowly moved into view. Watching Heisuke smile softly to himself had worked to sober her thoughts. She hadn't expected him to be so casual with his answer luckily. Chizuru was thankful for having a friend that appreciated honesty this much and now it felt silly for thinking he would abandon her if she took him the truth about her relationship. The last thing Chizuru wanted to do was cause tension, but this small experience was promising. Telling the truth only seemed to relieve Heisuke. Couldn't she be a bit more forthright with him about her intentions and everything else?

The thought of having someone she could talk to about her relationship elated her more than she realized. Sanosuke and Heisuke were always really easy-going with each other too, so they knew each other well. She bit her lip sneakily, correcting her neck and gaze back to the view ahead. They were starting to be surrounded with other students now. Did the opportunity to test the waters with Heisuke already vanish? Her eyes flickered downwards hesitantly.

"Oi-we're nearly here and you still haven't finished…" Heisuke awkwardly pointed to Chizuru's hand and the half eaten and now cold milk bread she had forgotten. He laughed at her embarrassed look and when Chizuru began to hurriedly beg him to help her. Heisuke quickly plucked it from her grasp and shoveled it in his mouth in one bite with a wink. This got them both stopped at the gate by Kaoru who started scolding him about eating in public and Hajime who stole the opportunity to strike up a conversation with Chizuru on the side. But he wasn't really bothered today. He was uncharacteristically happy…and hoping to rub it in Okita's smug face very soon.

Sanosuke was lazily scanning the sports section of the newspaper instead of finishing his lecture template for next week's lesson plan. It was that fleeting yet sweet time in between all the teachers' schedules where they all had classes and Sanosuke did not. So the teacher was blissfully empty of people, sans himself.

It was a dead quiet. His mind kept drifting back to the more memorable moments of his exact time being spent sneaking Chizuru inside just so he could try convincing her to try sitting on his desk when they kissed…

He shook his head, frowning at how often his mind drifted off without him noticing. It wasn't entirely his fault, though-talking on the phone every night with Chizuru unlocked a different level of intimacy that surprisingly Sanosuke liked so much it was becoming the only thing he looked forward to in his cold, empty apartment. It was becoming an addictive habit to ensure that his voice was the last voice she heard for the day, that her sleepily murmured whispers were heard only by him. She was sexy in all sorts of ways he couldn't describe; it was getting harder and harder each night to keep his conversation civil.

And now, not being able to physically hold his beloved girlfriend even on days he saw her in person was grating on him. His thoughts constantly drifted back to her and thoughts of disappearing into an empty classroom with her if only for a few minutes.

"Oi, who's-ah, Sano, you're here?" Shinpachi had slid open the door noisily and poked his head inside. His grin was shamelessly cheeky. "I'm not interrupting anything this time, am I?"

Sanosuke sat up straight in his chair and began folding the newspaper closed, rolling his eyes. "Screw you too, Shin. It's not funny."

"Sure it is," Shinpachi quipped back with a silly smile, stepping inside and walking briskly towards his desk, shuffling through the crowded drawers.

"Forgot something?"

"Y-yeah."

"Who's watching the class?" Sanosuke asked, his face scrunching in confusion.

Shinpachi was busy rifling through unorganized folders on his desk when he grunted a reply. "No one. But s'cool, Yukimura's here today, they won't act terribly in front of a girl…shit, where is it!?"

Sanosuke turned his head in the other direction and sighed under his breath. He scratched the top of his head absently. "Want me to cover for you?"

Shinpachi scoffed at his suggestion, this time pausing his search efforts to look up from his desk directly into his best friend's eyes. "Yeah right! You need this job, remember? As your friend, in good faith I can't enable you." His smile went back to being cheeky again.

For some reason, this was pissing Sanosuke off more than it usually would. "Oh that's rich, coming from you." Sanosuke drawled with a glare, then paused as a thought struck him. "Who's been worrying about my job?" From his eyeline he could see Shinpachi tense up all over. A few seconds under Sanosuke's fierce glare Shinpachi's face scrunched up in unease, the missing papers buried somewhere on his desk now forgotten.

"Eheheh…I might've overheard some talk between Hijikata-san and Sannan-san about your little warning, that's all…ease up Sano, you know I don't mean any harm."

Sanosuke did know that. But now he was more concerned over the fact that there's been talk about him- weren't too many people were watching his moves now? Sanosuke stood up from his desk, a frown etched onto his face and still glaring as he marched over towards his best friend with quick steps.

"What did you overhear them say about me?" Although both men were roughly about the same size, the look on his redhaired friend's face gave him the good sense not to bother lying.

"Eh, who, Hijikata-san? It wasn't anything terrible! He's just worried about you, Sano. And you know how he gets about Kondou and the school's reputation. Not like he actually knows anything." He made his voice sound light and humorous.

The sharp look in his friend's golden eyes unnerved him slightly. Shinpachi let go of a deep sigh as he resumed searching his desk. "Man, Chizuru-chan's really got you all riled up, huh?" He chuckled, mostly to himself.

Sanosuke had backed off a little, but he still wore the same sour expression when he replied. "Watch it, Shin. I know what you're thinking, but this isn't a phase or anything-I'm really serious about her."

"Yeah, yeah." Shinpachi replied absently, his eyes lighting up in delight as he identified the missing folder. "You say that about all of your girlfriends-ohh, yes! Thank goodness!" He grasped the precious folder to his chest.

Sanosuke found himself taken aback. That couldn't be true-right? He couldn't remember every single one of his girlfriends but out of them all he might have been fond of one or two but…no, this was different. A woman had never quite made him feel the way he does about Chizuru.

"You don't get it! I love her, Shin. I know it looks complicated right now but do you think I'd endure something like this if I wasn't serious? I'd do anything to keep her by my side. I…she's someone I want to take care of in the future."

Shinpachi snorted back at him mockingly, but his gaze was soft from listening to the raw emotion in his friend's voice. "O-Oh? Ha…if I hadn't already heard this from you before I think I'd believe you, Sano."

"Oh, screw you Shinpachi! Who needs your faith anyway? Don't be surprised when I follow through with my intentions."

Shinpachi was holding back his laughter now, the task at hand now accomplished but now he wanted to linger. "Eh, that's so then? I guess I'm now worried for Chizuru-chan if anything-she can do way better if you ask me."

"You-! Well, actually, that might be true..."

They shared a hearty laugh between them as Shinpachi hurried back to the door, the folder tucked securely under his arm. "Seriously though. Ya gotta trust me when I say it's all okay for now. But be careful, okay? There are eyes everywhere."

"I know that already, idiot." Sanosuke was already stalking back to his seat, a renewed look of determination in his eyes as he sat down and pushed the folded newspaper aside. "...But thank you, Shin."

"Don't sweat it!" came the muffled reply as Shinpachi noisily slid the door closed behind him and hurried back to the main stairway.

Sanosuke got through maybe half of the week's preparations before the bell rang and the teachers started pouring back into the lounge. He avoided Hijikata's eye as he gathered his things for his next class and selfishly let his thoughts drift back to her for a bit longer.

Heisuke had just finished excitedly telling his recounting of this morning's events to an obviously bored Souji with a smug grin when Chizuru had nearly rushed past them, her pace clearly indicating some emergency of some kind. His smile was replaced quickly with a knitted brow full of worry as he gently caught Chizuru on the arm before she booked past them.

Souji had a single eyebrow raised in confusion as well. They were currently headed to the cafeteria in order to meet Chizuru-why would she have walked past them in the opposite direction?

"Woah!" Heisuke said with a loud exhale as Chizuru's smaller body recoiled from his strength and knocked into his side. "Wait-where are you going, Chizuru? I thought we were meeting up for lunch today?"

Her eyes were alight and blinking rapidly as if she was still recognizing their faces. Her blank look morphed into familiarity as she offered a smile of relief that it was Heisuke who caught her, and not a stranger.

"Ah-Heisuke-kun, Okita-senpai!"

Souji's green eyes were squinting as he tried to hide his irritation with a smile. "You weren't thinking of ditching us just now and not saying anything, were you?"

It was only after Souji's word caught up to Heisuke that he realized that Chizuru's body felt strangely warm in his grasp, her bare skin radiating heat. He quickly let her go with a red face and murmured an apology under his breath. Chizuru shook her head and smiled more easily this time, her freed hand now straightening her clothes before she gave them a short bow.

"That's not it Okita-senpai," Chizuru said with a gentle confidence. Souji's tight smile was still in place but his brows were now relaxed. "I-I just remembered I left something in the classroom so I was rushing to try and get it before you both arrived but…"

"Oh, that's all?" Heisuke's voiced sound high-pitched with relief as he nodded his head. "Well, that makes sense. Do you want us to walk back with you, then?"

"Um…actually…" Chizuru's voice trailed off, and Souji crossed his arms patiently.

"Well?" He sniped at her.

Heisuke looked back and forth between the two, his expression perplexed. Chizuru's face was flushed and slightly pink as she struggled to explain.

"Um. if you don't want to say-"

"No no, it's just…." Chizuru blushed a little harder as she struggled to look them both in the eye. "This morning Heisuke, when you and I left…I forgot my bento on the counter…"

There was an awkward silence that made Chizuru's head bow down in utter embarrassment. It had wiped the suspicion from Souji's face and made Heisuke erupt into a fit of laughter, jump startling some of the other students that were walking past them in the hall.

"Hahaha! That's all? Sheesh, Chizuru you should've said so from the beginning!" Heisuke reached out a hand and patted the girl on the crown of her head with smoothing strokes. He grinned at her blushing face. "You need us to stand in line for you right? That's no problem, you go ahead!"

Chizuru's face was flooded with relief at Heisuke's words that moisture was already starting to soften her gaze. She looked back at Souji who just sighed indifferently at her .

"Well, if it's for you I'll do you this favor just one. Hurry back though, Chizuru-chan." Souji plucked Heisuke's offensive hand off of Chizuru's head and nudged her forward while tugging Heisuke along.

She bowed again to them both and hurried off at that weird brisk walking pace into the throngs of the incoming students. Heisuke didn't resist Souji's forceful pull of the arm but he grumbled aloud anyway.

"Oi, what's your deal all of a sudden?! Feeling embarrassed because I turned out to be right, huh?" Heisuke snatched his arm back from Souji, watching his friend's hand fall limply to his side as he led a half-step ahead of Heisuke. They walked in through the cafeteria doors and Heisuke spotted the end of the line.

"This way! Man - I think Chizuru had a lucky break running into us, huh? This line is crazy long."

"That's why I hate doing things like this," Souji said exasperatingly, glaring at the student half his height who accidentally brushed up against him.

"That's a lie! I've seen you do it for Hajime-kun once."

"That wasn't a favor though, that was a bribe."

"Oh...?" Heisuke found himself sighing too at Souji's sour attitude today. It was dampening the tendrils of that wash of relief he felt this morning-wasn't that little exchange only serving to prove his point make Souji happy too? He found himself staring at the other brunet's face absently, lost in thought.

Souji felt sudden eyes on him and looked away from the younger boy he was intimidating to Heisuke's bright and wide-eyed stare of confusion.

"You put on a dumb expression when you get lost in thought." Souji smirked, knowing that jab would be enough to center Heisuke's attention back on him.

The shorter boy frowned grumpily. "I don't get you," he said finally, as they shuffled closer to the front of the line.

"What's not to get?" Souji kept his voice light.

Heisuke closed his eyes for a brief moment as he grumbled to himself, trying to find the right words. A long silence went by and still he couldn't think of what to say back, so he just scrunched up his annoyance. There was something he couldn't put his finger on, but the word that kept coming up in his mind was suspicious. And if Souji was giving off an air of suspicion, it was usually for good reason. Why would Chizuru hide anything from them? From him, especially too?

The line was starting to pick up in speed as they approached the front of the line. Souji casually remarked that Chizuru never did tell them what to order for her, and then something occurred to Heisuke suddenly as he swiveled around to find Souji's eyes before he spoke.

"Wait, did she need the both of us to wait in line for her?"

"Hmm, who's to say..."

Then Souji exhaled a long breath he had been holding it in, the corners of his lips twitched as he watched confusion and then understanding bloom across Heisuke's features; and that proud, eager little light he held in his eyes ever since they two left the classroom had finally dimmed down, just slightly. He almost felt guilty for it, but like it or not, they both were in the same boat with this. He couldn't afford to worry about feelings during this waiting period, not even his own. But he was glad to see that Heisuke was getting a little restless looking for answers, too. Maybe if Souji chose to confide in him his theory, Heisuke could offer to help him dig around a bit. Heisuke was closer to Harada-sensei and Shinpachi-sensei than he was anyway. That could prove useful to him.

But as they reached the front of the line and Heisuke ordered an expensive set for Chizuru and another one for himself, Souji could spot the flash of a pink scrunchie as Chizuru's small frame tried to weave itself past students to reach them. So he decided to save his idea for later and changed the subject when she came back to greet them again. Heisuke was renewed for the moment, blushing at her many thanks and chattering away happily as they searched for a table. Souji, who usually skipped lunch anyway, trailed behind them with a neutral expression.

"Chizuru-chan still looks a little flushed. Did you really take me seriously and hurry all the way back?" Chizuru snuck a quick glance at him, trying to read his expression and see if he was teasing or not. She was aware of him way more now, which he liked. She took his teasing in stride instead of sputtering and apologizing. But right now he was having a hard time believing the blush spread across her face was not due to him.

"No answer for that, huh? My, my, Chizuru-chan…" He poked his tongue at her until she started to giggle.

"Hehe…I guess I'm lucky I didn't run into Saito-senpai today then."

"Or your crazy brother." Heisuke added, looking up from his bowl of udon noodles for the first time since they sat down.

"K-Kaoru is…"

"Chizuru-chan, you've already wasted half of your lunchtime and you still haven't started eating yet. Give it to me if you're gonna let it go to waste-Heisuke really splurged on you to get that set."

He was trying hard to make her turn red again, for him. But Chizuru's eyes held a faraway look-like her thoughts were somewhere else.

"It's not-shut up Souji! Don't say it to her like that!"

Souji smoothly ignored him. "If you need help finishing it all I'll let you feed me some, if you like?"

"Okita-senpai…!"

"Hey, don't ignore me! Get your own lunch!"

Souji bit his lip to hide his frown as his two friends bantered back and forth. He didn't care much for being lied to.

thanks for checking in on the update guys! next one gonna be intense hehe, i hope you follow the story! SQ~