Rukawa's mother put a hand on her husband's arm and practically dragged him into the kitchen, pulling the door closed so there was just a sliver of a gap through which to observe the two young men removing their shoes in the entranceway. She turned to him with wide, round eyes and an open mouth.

"Who is that?" she squeaked.

Professor Grump frowned in confusion. "That's the boy. Kaede's friend."

"Why's he so handsome!?"

"Is he?"

"I thought you said he was a nerd?!"

"I didn't say he was a nerd. I said he was a good student."

"What are we going to do-?" she hissed, peering back through the crack in the door.

Rukawa senior straightened his clothes, "Do? Why do we have to do anything?"

"Well, look at him. He must have dozens of friends. He must be popular with everyone!"

"Well, maybe it will rub off on Kaede. That boy could do with being a bit more sociable if you ask me."

"Don't you get it?" Rukawa's mother looked deeply troubled. "Kaede likes him."

"So what?"

"They've spent the past two nights together!"

"Well," Professor Grump cleared his throat awkwardly and frowned uncomfortably. "They are old enough to-"

The woman clutched her hands in front of her heart anxiously. "Do you really think someone like that is serious? Won't he just… get bored? Go off, or dump him for the next pretty face that comes along?"

Professor Grump sighed, and pushed his glasses up his nose. "I don't know," he said honestly. "But, my dear, our son is no fool. I'm sure he's already considered that. You have to trust him to come to his own conclusion. He's growing up, after all. He needs to be able to recognise for himself the people who support him, and the people who are using him. He needs to learn how to keep the good ones close, and the bad ones at a distance. And if he's wrong about this boy, then…" he gave a sigh and a shrug, "…it'll be a lesson well learned."

Rukawa's mother pursed her lips and turned to look up at her husband. "Tsk," she responded. "When did you get to be so old and wise?"

Rukawa senior chuckled and stroked his chin. "Well-" he began "-it all began when-"

His wife gave him a playful shove to the arm. "All right! Never mind! I don't need to know!"

Rukawa senior smiled, then leaned down and kissed his wife. "Why don't you go and meet the boy before jumping to conclusions?" he suggested. "He's a good kid, from what I know."

"Mm."

"Be friendly."

"Tch! You're one to talk!"

"I'm so sorry to intrude," Sendoh said at once, offering Rukawa's parents a low bow as they emerged from the kitchen. "I hope you don't mind that I…"

"It's fine, it's fine!" Rukawa's mother brushed away his formalities. "There's plenty of food. I don't suppose you like cookies?"

Sendoh straightened and looked at her. Rukawa's mother was rather tiny. Especially considering that her husband and son were both incredibly tall. She was firm and strong, however. There was definitely a look of an athlete about her. Her light frame did not disguise her speed and strength. Her husband, standing beside her, could not have been more different. Though he was head and shoulders taller, he had the quiet look of a thinking man, and didn't share the same weight of physicality as the rest of his family. Rukawa himself was a perfect blend of them both. He had inherited his mother's athletic prowess, and his father's tall build.

"Cookies?" He enquired in confusion.

"Yes, I just cooked a batch. Chocolate chip."

"I do like chocolate chip," Sendoh admitted, still sounding a little bemused.

Professor Grump scoffed and gave him a sympathetic shrug. "In this house," he explained. "Dessert comes before dinner."

Sendoh blinked. "Oh! Well, in that case…" Sendoh smiled, "…I'd love one."

A cookie wrapped in a cute paper serviette featuring cartoon cats was handed to him, and he was sent upstairs with Kaede to rest with a parting call, "Dinner is in fifteen minutes!"

He followed Rukawa up to his room.

"Is it okay to eat this in here?" Sendoh wondered, holding up the cookie, before realising that Rukawa was already eating his. "Ah-" he smiled. "Perfect."

Rukawa's room was fairly typical of a teen boy, still retaining the evidence that he'd used it since he was a child. There were a few models from well-known cartoons on the desk, and a slightly childish wallpaper and blue bedspread. A few NBA posters were affixed to the walls. There were no chairs, but a space between the bed and the wall was large enough for both of them to sit comfortably. There were low bookshelves with manga and dictionaries, and a games console plugged into a small monitor. It reminded Sendoh of his room back at his parent's house. It was, admittedly, a little youthful, perhaps a little childish, compared to the university dorms, but they all of them had rooms back home with the same kind of feeling. An attachment, still, to their younger selves. They were all halfway between being independent adults, and still being teenagers. So he felt comfortable here.

Sendoh settled on the floor, and unwrapped his chocolate chip cookie.

"You can save it for after dinner," Rukawa pointed out, "if you want."

Sendoh looked over at him. Rukawa had a couple of flecks of cookie crumbs at the corner of his lips. Sendoh couldn't help but grin at the adorable sight. "I can't wait to try it," he explained, and took a contented bite of his own cookie.

Rukawa tilted his head, but said nothing. He only watched as Sendoh chewed.

"This is really delicious!" Sendoh exclaimed. "Your mother is a good baker!"

"She likes making sweet things," Rukawa confirmed quietly.

Sendoh's eyes flickered down to the empty tissue in Rukawa's lap. It had not escaped his notice that Rukawa had devoured his cookie in an instant. "And you like sweet things," he guessed.

Rukawa pursed his lips slightly, as if trying to work out whether Sendoh was mocking him or not.

Seeing his cute expression, Sendoh could not resist leaning forward and lifting a hand. He gently brushed away the crumbs from the corner of Rukawa's lips. For a brief moment, his palm cupped Rukawa's jaw gently, and Rukawa's eyes went wide. Sendoh moved back and smiled at him. "Just a crumb," he explained.

But Rukawa seemed to have turned rigid, his breathing tight, and his shoulders stiff.

"You okay?" Sendoh asked him worriedly.

Rukawa only gave a mute, stiff nod.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

Rukawa quickly shook his head, seeming as if to snap out of a daze, lifting a hand to his mouth and brushing anxiously as if worried there might be more crumbs and Sendoh might be forced to repeat the action.

"You're good," Sendoh reassured him.

Rukawa slowly lowered his hand back to his lap.

"So-" Sendoh looked around the space. "Do you have any plans to move onto campus, later? Or, join a house share, maybe?"

Rukawa shrugged. "I didn't really think about it."

"Well, you're still a first year. There's lots of time."

"Hn."

"It must be nice to save money staying at home though! And you mum cooks for you, right?" Sendoh leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Man, I miss that. I can't cook. Well, I can't cook anything delicious, anyway."

"You should practise," Rukawa pointed out.

"Heh, yeah, well," Sendoh breathed out in a long sigh, "time. Y'know? Everything takes so much time."

Rukawa tilted his head.

Sendoh looked pensive. "I'm a second year already, but it seems like I still didn't sort out anything yet. Still don't really know how to handle… a lot of stuff. It's a big learning curve. Living alone. Growing up," he grinned. "It's fun though."

Rukawa watched him quietly for a moment, then nodded.

Sendoh took the final bite of his cookie, and then folded the napkin into a neat square. His fingers brushed over the little cats on the paper. "This is cute."

Rukawa didn't respond.

Sendoh glanced up at him. He took a breath. "Say…" he trailed off, uncertain how to frame the question he wanted to ask.

Rukawa only waited quietly for him to speak.

"Do you, uhm-" Sendoh pursed his lips and twisted his mouth awkwardly. "Do you have someone that you…" he cringed a little. "What I mean is, are you, like… you know. Uhm-"

Rukawa shook his head. "No," he said.

Sendoh lifted his eyebrows to gaze at him. "No?"

"No."

"Oh."

The silence suddenly felt awkward. The conversation was hard to follow. Sendoh worried his lower lip with his teeth.

"You and, uh, that Sawakita guy…?"

"No."

"So you're not-?"

"No."

Sendoh parted his lips in an "ah" shape, and gave a nod of understanding. "I see."

"What about you?"

"Huh?" Sendoh looked up to find that Rukawa was staring at him with an unexpected level of intensity.

"Do you?"

"Do I-?"

"Yeah."

"Oh! No. I mean- no. Not… not yet."

Rukawa looked a little surprised. "Never?"

Sendoh shook his head slowly. "I never met someone that I really… liked… before."

"Before?" Rukawa tilted his head and questioned innocently.

Sendoh's eyes widened a little. He had to gulp down the rising queasy ache in his chest. He felt suddenly like a rabbit in headlights, staring down Rukawa's curiosity with the sinking feeling that he was thoroughly transparent, and all his thoughts and feelings must be so obvious and visible.

Rukawa's eyes did not let him go - just staring at him with that completely neutral expression that gave neither hope nor warning.

Sendoh had no idea what to say next.

He could feel it, like some terrible monstrous secret bubbling beneath his surface, begging to be set free.

Tell him.

It was so tempting. What was wrong with being… honest?

But he had already decided - no. He wasn't there yet. He wasn't ready. And rushing this thing might make the whole thing… a disaster.

Slowly, he shook his head. "Hn," he said noncommittally, avoiding the question and the temptation offered by Rukawa's closeness.

He saw Rukawa take a short breath, and for a brief and wild moment, Sendoh thought he saw a look of disappointment in his face.

But the next moment, Rukawa's mother's voice was calling to them to come down, and the moment was gone.

-tbc

ANs: Ahahaha the gap between the parent's expectations and the reality of these sweetly innocent boys is so funny to me XD

Kaede4ever thank you so much T.T I'm so glad to know someone is still reading along haha. Yes I'm just going to enjoy myself writing this to the end ^.^ and I'm much better now - even better than I was before! I learned a lot of things and came out better for it. I feel like I can really enjoy the fandom now without lots of stress and without worrying too much. I'm in a happy place and really enjoying myself for the first time in a while! :)