"Answer the damn phone!"

Bankotsu awoke the following morning when something soft collided with his head. He had slept fitfully, tossing and turning most of the night, and now the morning sun spilled through the window, warming his skin and forcing him awake against his will. Also dragging him from the uneasy sleep was the incessant ringing of the phone, which had apparently woke Inu Yasha up as well, as the younger boy had thrown a waded-up tee-shirt in Bankotsu's direction.

"All right; all right…" He mumbled, glancing at his clock as he crawled across the bed and reached for the phone. Nine o'clock. He groaned, snatching the receiver from the cradle, rubbing his sleep-bleared eyes. "H'llo?" He yawned into the phone.

"Good morning, sunshine!" Came a cheery voice on the other end, "It took you a long time to answer. Were you asleep?"

"God, yes! Jakotsu, it's nine in the morning!" He slumped down against the wall, feeling a lot less annoyed than he appeared. A small smile played across his lips as he yawned again, "What's up?"

"When I told them you were back, they gave me the day off so I could spend it with you!" The older man gushed, "The people here are so nice! They don't care at all and none of them think it's weird…They were so happy for me! So I'm coming over."

"What, now?" Bankotsu ran a hand through his sleep-tousled bangs, resisting the urge to laugh gleefully. Even though he was still tired, he was alert enough to register the information. He got to spend a whole day with Jakotsu! "I only woke up because Inu Yasha threw a tee-shirt at me since he couldn't reach the phone himself. Gimme some time to get up and dressed and stuff."

"An hour?"

"Fine…" Blue eyes swept across to the other side of the room; Bankotsu gazed at Inu Yasha, who stared back at him. "I'll see you in an hour then."

"All right!" Was the enthusiastic reply, "I love you!"

Bankotsu blushed lightly, twisting the phone cord around his finger. "Yeah, you too." He mumbled into the receiver, "Bye."

"G'bye!"

There was a loud silence as the young man set the receiver back in the cradle. He could feel Inu Yasha's golden gaze burning through him; the freshman's eyes were following his every movement. He frowned slightly, turning fully to face his roommate. "Why are you staring at me?" Sapphire eyes blinked, dark brows knitting together, "Go back to sleep."

"Like I'm supposed to be able to sleep now." Inu Yasha grumbled under his breath as he settled back down, pulling a pillow over his head. He had been sleeping soundly until the fucking phone started ringing, lost in the wonderful, lucid world of dreams, where everything was normal and there weren't two men making out together in the common room. Shit…I just want to sleep for the rest of the year!

Bankotsu slid down off his bed, patting barefoot over to dig around in the closet. Towels on the top shelf, shampoo and stuff somewhere else…He pawed around, nearly knocking a plastic cup down on his head. Tossing the towel on his chair and setting the shampoo and conditioner down on top of it, he pulled the elastic out of his braid and began working his way through it with his brush. He was proud of his hair; proud of how long he'd been growing it to be that length, but it was a pain in the ass to take care of, especially in the summer.

He shuffled -half asleep still- down the hall to the bathroom. He paused outside the door; water was running. Not the shower, but one of the two sinks. Better go on ahead.

There was Tsuchi, brushing his teeth, staring absently into the running water. One of his hands was rested against the porcelain counter top, the other held the toothbrush level with his mouth, but he wasn't moving, just staring.

"Tsuchi?" The older boy said softly. He saw the sophomore's shoulders tense, saw him lower the toothbrush. "Are you okay?"

"Why?" The dark, brooding boy didn't turn around. Bankotsu wasn't sure if he even heard the question or not. "Why?" He repeated, louder this time. His shoulders shook, arms bracing him against the counter.

"Why what, Tsuchi?" Bankotsu tipped his head to one side, wavy hair rippling down his back. The young man wasn't making any sense, which was strange. Tsuchi was usually the most serious and sensible of them all, usually the one who played to role of the voice of reason amongst the group.

"Why did he have to make Keba cry?" Tsuchi suddenly whirled around to face Bankotsu, dark hair whipping around his face, "Why Keba of all people? He's already been through so much. He doesn't need shit like that." His grip around the toothbrush tightened and one of his slender eyebrows twitched. "I will not forgive Inu Yasha for that." He muttered lowly.

"It was that bad?"

"Keba hasn't cried like that since the wedding." Inky eyes fell shut, "He wouldn't stop…He…He couldn't…It hurt him so bad."

Bankotsu frowned. If Inu Yasha made Kebakeba cry…It took a lot to get the senior down. "I'm so sorry, Tsuchi…" He bit his lip, "Is he still asleep?" A nod. "When he wakes up, tell him that Jakotsu is coming over. That'll help cheer him up." He smiled weakly, then frowned again, "And, um, why exactly was he crying?" He asked hesitantly. That sort of puzzled him. All of them were used to hearing things like that.

"Because…"

"Keba…Keba, wait! Talk to me, Keba! Don't you dare shut me out." Furious, Tsuchi stormed out of room 123, close behind Kebakeba. His dark hair bounced around his face as he made a grab for his friend's arm, but Keba jerked out of his grasp.

"Leave me alone." He whispered in a small, choked-up voice.

"Please; tell me why you're so angry…It's not just because he said that." The door slammed in his face, but he pushed it open, going into the room and shutting the door behind him. "Keba, tell me!" He demanded.

Keba ignored him, crawling up onto his bed and burying his face in his hands, knees drawn up to his chest. His whole body shuddered and sobs escaped from somewhere deep within him. His brown hair fluffed out, hiding his face, shaking as he cried. Tsuchi paused for a moment, then hoisted himself up on the bed as well, pulling his crying friend into his arms. "Don't cry. What he says doesn't matter." He said quietly.

The older boy continued to sob.

"Please…" Tsuchi forced his friend to look up, fingers brushing the tears off his cheeks. He leaned over, kissing his friend softly, "Don't cry." Arms twined around him; Keba held on for dear life. "Please tell me why it hurts so much." He whispered, lips brushing across Keba's again. The older man shuddered at his touch. He was playing dirty and he knew it, but Keba wouldn't respond to simple questioning or demands.

"It's…" Kebakeba hiccupped, tightening his grip around the younger man, "It's exactly what Ryoku said when she found out…Exactly…She…She didn't understand." He sobbed, "Kiyaku and I thought…She deserved to know my feelings…And she…" He paused, taking a deep breath, gulping back tears, "She told me I was the most disgusting person she ever met. Told me I was terrible…" He buried his face in Tsuchi's chest, sobs muffled by the fabric of his lover's tee-shirt.

"It's not true." Tsuchi whispered into Keba's tousled hair, "It's not true at all." He felt his heart twisting in his chest as tears filled his eyes. "Don't believe it; it's not true…"

"…Then why does it hurt so much?"

Tsuchi stopped talking, pausing to regard Bankotsu. The silence between the two was deafening; the sophomore knew that this whole situation had affected all three boys the previous night. What he'd left out of the story was the way Keba had continued to cling to his desperately, the wallowing in despair, the broken-hearted ramblings of the one who meant most to him. The brown-haired boy had cried long into the night while Tsuchi held him, patiently listening to the choked-out list of regrets and sorrows, until he had worn himself out from sheer exhaustion. And that was how they had stayed the night, lost in the deepness of intimacies other than sex.

"This is a real mess, isn't it?" Bankotsu sighed, "Maybe we'll have to talk to Koga about it…I mean, if shit like that keeps happening…"

"He'll be okay." Tsuchi said calmly.

"He shouldn't have to be 'okay.' It never should have happened in the first place."

No, it shouldn't have." The younger boy nodded, "And it won't happen again. Or I swear, I'll kill him myself." This said, he turned on his heal and marched from the bathroom.

Warm water ran in rivers down Bankotsu's tanned skin and plastered his long hair to his back. He tilted his head up, allowing the water to rush across his face, waking him. The water suddenly chilled -some one had flushed the toilet- and he was suddenly hit with a deluge of memories. A day; long ago, running in the rain…So chilly…He came looking for me because I took longer than usual. A wan smile crossed his face. 'You're soaking wet. Are you cold? I could warm you up…' Oh Jakotsu…He shook his head slightly.

He smiled to himself as he lathered his hair. That morning had lead up to some very interesting events…Pleasant, yet unusual. Goddammit; I miss him so much! I love him…And now we're apart…This is so difficult.

Once dressed, Bankotsu began toweling off his long hair. There was no way it would be dry anytime soon; but running a towel over it before he bound it back in the braid did help. He hummed to himself quietly as he combed and braided his hair, lyrics to the latest song by Ophidia flitting through his mind.

Then he yanked his shoes on, glancing at the clock. Might as well go wait outside for him…I'm so excited!! Grinning to himself, he made his way out of the room, braid slapping against his back and leaving a wet spot on his shirt. He paused in the hallway, poking his head into room 122's common room. Tsuchi was curled up on the couch, a book -which he was obviously not reading- in his hands. "I'm going to wait for Jakotsu outside. Wanna come?" The older boy asked.

Tsuchi looked up; dark gaze lingering on Bankotsu's face, then glanced towards the bedroom door. "I'd rather be here when he wakes up…" He said softly, eyes closing for a moment, then flickering back open, inky gaze once again resting upon the older boy's face.

Bankotsu half-smiled. "I understand." Keba needed Tsuchi. That was perfectly reasonable. Especially considering that the senior had been crying. Bankotsu couldn't picture it…Kebakeba didn't cry. He was too cheerful and tears wouldn't suit him at all. It was unheard of. He had known the education major for a little over a year and had never seen him sad about anything before. "You guys can hang out with us later, if you want. We'll probably go downtown or something."

"Okay."

"See ya."

"Bye."

It was plenty nice out. Hot; humid; but breezy as well. The campus was nestled snugly between two mountains and there was generally a lot of wind, which came as something of a relief during the summer months. The young man settled himself on the wall in front of the building, aimlessly looking around and taking in his surroundings. It is good to be back…But nothing is the same now. Even if I am in the same room, with the same people, all the familiarity doesn't make up for the lack of Jakotsu's presence.

He swung his legs, gaze drifting up to the hazy sky. There wasn't a single cloud; the sun was already burning through the morning, warming his face. He smiled slightly. Maybe things would work out with Inu Yasha…Maybe it was just his reaction to going away from home…Maybe in the end…And if it didn't work out, he had several options still. Don't despair, Bankotsu. He told himself, I can always move in with Tsuchi next semester…Keba will be gone student teaching and the room will be open…Or I could move in with Jakotsu…Even though Mom would freak.

That would be fun, living with him…I miss coming back from somewhere and finding him there waiting for me. I miss cuddling with him while we watch movies. I miss dinner time together. And hell yeah I miss the sex…But more than that, I just miss him.

"Hey there, handsome."

"Jakotsu!" The sound of his friend's voice snapped him from his reverie. His blue gaze rose, landing on his friend's pale face. Jakotsu smiled down at him, inky eyes lit with happiness. Clad in denim cut-offs, a white wife beater and flip-flops, the older man looked as if he were headed off to the beach. Bankotsu grinned, rising from his seat on the wall to give his lover a proper greeting.

There was a desperate meeting of mouths; arms tangling around one another. It didn't matter that they had seen one another only the day before or that they were out in the open for all the world to see. All that mattered was that they were together. Bankotsu, after the emotional stress of Inu Yasha's revulsion, simply needed to be around some one who loved him for exactly what he was; some one who could make him feel better about the whole situation. And Jakotsu was being his usual lusty self, descending on his pray, swooping down to devour the shorter man. Whispers of I love you; I need you; I missed you so much hung on the air as the two men embraced.

Bankotsu sighed contentedly into the kiss, leaning forwards, straining to reach up. This is where I belong…His arms were around the taller man's neck, their chests pressed together. Jakotsu had one hand up under his shirt, slender fingers teasing up his side; the other hand holding him, tugging him closer, not letting him leave.

The kiss finally ended when they both seemed to realize they would need to breathe sometime in the near future - it was essential to their survival. Bankotsu took a small step back, smiling up at his other half, proud that, for once, he wasn't blushing. Jakotsu grinned, dark eyes sparkling, one finger tracing along the bridge of his companion's nose. "You didn't blush." He teased.

"Nope." Came the smug reply, "I didn't."

"Maybe we're maturing a little bit?"

Blue eyes widened. "Mature? Never!" Bankotsu laughed. He was so relieved, so happy, to see Jakotsu. Nothing could bring him down. Not even a direct attack from Inu Yasha could squelch his good mood.

"You're cheerful today." The older man observed.

"I'm happy to see you. Yesterday was bad, so I'm glad you're here."

"Yesterday was bad? How so?" Jakotsu's head tipped to one side, bangs sliding across his forehead, as he studied his friend's face, "I mean, I know it's been a month since we'd done it, but it couldn't have been that bad. Am I losing my touch?"

At that, Bankotsu's face flushed red. "Not that!" He stammered, "I'm talking about Inu Yasha!"

"What about him?"

"He's a homophobe. He keeps acting like we're all diseased or something. He made Keba cry."

"Keba?"

"Yeah."

"Cried?"

"Yes!"

"Are you sure?"

"That's what Tsuchi said…We were hanging around in the common room yesterday and I guess he thought we were being too loud because we were laughing about something and he came outta the bedroom to yell at us and Keba said something and he said something along the lines of 'gay people are terrible' and Keba got all quiet and left and Tsuchi said he cried." He sighed, "Everything is so fucked up now. We all need you here."

"I'm sorry, kiddo." Jakotsu hugged him again, "But it seems that fate is against us. We have to make the best of this." He ran the back of his hand over Bankotsu's cheek, "It could be worse, right?" He tugged on the boy's bangs, "I mean, I could have had to go away."

"I know." The younger man's gaze dropped to the ground, "But…"

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure things will get better once he gets used to you guys. Now come on." Jakotsu placed a kiss on his companion's forehead, leaving a smudge of lipstick under his bangs, "Let's go inside so I can say hi to everybody." He grabbed Bankotsu's hand, tugging him towards the door.

"Everybody else is still asleep, stupid. It's only ten-thirty." He rubbed at his forehead, only succeeding in further smudging the makeup, then looked up at the other man, "If we go in, there's not much we can do. I know Inu Yasha's still in bed, so no kinky ideas." A slight frown crossed his face.

Jakotsu's forehead creased. "You're no fun." He pouted.

"It's not my fault you called so early." Bankotsu yawned, "I would still be in bed too if you hadn't insisted in coming over right away."

"I just wanted to spend as much time with you as possible. What's wrong with that? Tomorrow, I'll have to work and you'll have to do all that last minute crap getting ready for classes. Neither of us will be free until next weekend." Dark eyes blinked, never leaving the other boy's handsome face.

"I know…But," Another yawn, "I woulda rather stayed in bed longer."

"So what's stopping you? If you can't sleep without me around, we can just go cuddle and you can take a nap. I promise I won't try anything funny." A grin crossed his face, eyebrows rising, and he pulled the shorter man back into his embrace, "I'll be good."

"All right. But if you try anything I swear I won't let you do me for a month. Or else," The braided boy threatened, "I get to be on top."

Jakotsu flinched. "I swear! I won't do anything naughty." He held up his hands defensively, "I'll be a perfect gentleman." A smile tugged at his painted lips and his eyes sparkled, "Because there's no way in hell I'm gonna be the woman."

"Yeah; yeah…Come on."

Inu Yasha awoke later in the morning, sitting up and scratching. He glanced at his digital alarm -it was only eleven-fifteen; why was he up already?- and yawned. He pushed his hair out of his eyes; vision clouded by sleep, and glanced across the room. Bankotsu went back to bed? I thought he had plans…Thought he was going out. Don't tell me that damn phone call was all for nothing and…

His train of thought stopped short with movement from the other side of the room. A hand twitched; a hand which ended a slender, pale arm. Said arm was draped across the junior's stomach, hand clutching at the navy blue fabric of Bankotsu's tee-shirt. Bankotsu himself was on his back, mouth slightly open, snoring lightly. His braid snaked across the pillow and one of his legs dangled off the side of the bed. The other occupant of the bed was half-draped across him, pale skin a contrast to the dark sheets and the blue of Bankotsu's jeans.

I'll be damned! The lucky son of a bitch's got a chick. Inu Yasha yawned again, stretching, his back popping in the process. Guess he's not gay…I owe him an apology. He rubbed his eyes, flopping back down on the bed with a "whump" and staring at the ceiling. It's too damn early.

Had he still been paying attention to the couple curled up on the bed, he would have seen a head full of dark hair rise, inky eyes turning in his direction to get a good look at him. Jakotsu shifted silently, peering through his bangs at the blond.

He felt like his heart had stopped in his chest. What a positively adorable boy! Tiny nose, wide golden eyes, that wild tangle of white-blond hair. He appeared to be scowling up at the ceiling -Jakotsu wondered what he was thinking about- but the expression looked surprisingly good on him. He was lean and lithe; supple muscles exposed due to his sleep attire, which consisted only of boxers and a ratty undershirt. A vein in his neck twitched when he swallowed and an overwhelming urge to run his tongue over that vein surged through Jakotsu.

Then he felt Bankotsu shift beneath him and guilt washed over him. What the hell am I doing, staring at him like that? He glanced down at the sleeping form of his lover, taking in the serene expression on his tanned face. I promised him I would never leave him. I love him. So what am I doing checking out another guy? I'm sorry, Bankotsu…Keeping his gaze averted from Inu Yasha, he settled back down beside the smaller man…But he is awfully cute.

Bankotsu rolled over, arms wrapping around Jakotsu, causing the older man to feel even more guilt-ridden. He sighed, frowning lightly, chewing on his bottom lip. A brief infatuation with Inu Yasha would pass, just like it had with all the other cute guys who breezed through his life…Right? But Inu Yasha would always be around; always be a constant presence in his life…How could he avoid the boy if his significant other lived with him?

He stroked Bankotsu's bangs, keeping his gaze averted as Inu Yasha hopped down off his bed and padded out of the room. I won't look; I won't look; I won't look. He nuzzled his face against Bankotsu's chest, inhaling the zesty smell of his soap. I love you, but dammit, does your roommate have to be so attractive?