Author's note: so even though reviews give me the warm fuzzies, I don't usually reply to them, mostly because I'm either writing, working or sleeping, so here are some replies for some of chapts 4&5 reviews:

BeckonBacon - yep, I was aiming for the way Furuichi laughs off a lot of the stuff that happens, even when it effects him deeply, so I wanted him to react in private.

caliconeko: everyone stares at furu, he's adorable.

Surely Blue: same with beckonbacon, if you're not upto the mob-ichi arc of the manga, theres a lot in it about how furuichi internalizes his problems because he doesnt have the physical strength to stand up to the delinquents. its quite sad, and very painful arc to read.

MMBC: he is the brains of the operation XD.

kitty tokyo: , that how my friends and I text, so i was a bit worried they might be too fem,glad you liked them. marshylyric: thank you and thank you, i tend to write angst better than humour, so i felt it was time for some comedy, and thats basically how i see the heirachy at the oga house.

beckonbacon: oga has had a few cruisy chapters, it was time for some reality angst

guest: alaindelon doesnt need to stalk, he watches furu sleep every night from his wardrobe

chap 222 spoiler - how awesome is Misaki? I'm having visions of her forming a contract with Hilda and taking over hell. though the fighting between the 3 furuchibis makes me sad, he's so damaged.

On with chapter 6. please enjoy.

-SBB

Furuichi knew he was weaker than most of his friends. He'd mostly come to terms with that. He knew that in a fight, his goal was to get out of the way until it was over. He knew all this. That did not make being babysat any easier.

And that was definitely what this was – there was no other way to look at it. He blamed Oga for it. Partly, he blamed the stalker too, but mostly he blamed Oga.

It had started during their lunch break. Hilda and Oga had been fighting over whether or not to walk home with Furuichi. After spending ten minutes trying to interrupt them, Furuichi had finally managed to explain that he was meeting up with Miki that afternoon for their gaming and study marathon. For Hilda and Furuichi that was the end of the discussion, but despite Miki living in the opposite direction, Oga had wanted to come with him. That's when things clicked.

"This isn't about wanting to hang out after school, you think I can't take care of myself!" Furuichi yelled, leaping up and pointing at Oga.

Without looking up from his lunch, Oga replied, "obviously."

"WHAT?" Furuichi yelled grabbing Oga's collar, "DON'T JUST SAY IT LIKE THAT!" he yelled into his friend's face.

Oga's eyes widened at the sudden proximity. "H-how else should I say it – you do need looking after," he said, trying very hard not to stare at Furuichi's lips that were suddenly very near to his own.

"I DO NOT! AND ESPECIALLY NOT FROM YOU!"

"What is- who would you rather look after you?" Oga asked quietly.

By this point Furuichi was so furious he was shaking, but he was close enough to see the slight tensing in his best friend's face. To most people, Oga's face looked the same as usual, but to Furuichi it was the rarely seen sign that he had gone too far, and had hurt Oga.

Furuichi took a deep breath, and visibly calming himself, released Oga's collar. "Nobody," he explained stepping back, "I don't want anybody 'looking after' me... and I said especially you, because you should already know I don't need babysitting. Just because I'm not a brawler, doesn't mean I need you to hold my hand, you got that?"

Oga's mouth twitched into something that might have been the beginning of a smile. Furuichi gave him a light shove and a smile.

"Ok," Oga had finally answered, "I won't babysit you."

And that had been the end of it, until school ended and Furuichi found Natsume waiting to escort him to meet up with Miki. Oga had sent Kanzaki to look after him, but having better things to do, Kanzaki had sent Natsume, who was currently carrying Furuichi's overloaded book bag.

Furuichi swore up and down he would make Oga pay for the indignity, and was explaining his plans for vengeance to Natsume when he realised the older boy was laughing.

"What's so funny?" he asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"You obviously," Natsume said chuckling, "no, no, calm down – I meant the pair of you, Oga-chi included," he said when Furuichi began turning a deep purple of rage. "It's just funny how Oga is usually not worried about anything, and you're the one panicking over the little things... then but whenever you're the one in trouble Oga gets all mother hen-ish. It's cute," he said slinging an arm around the incensed freshman's shoulders, leaning to whisper in Furuichi's ear "you know how much I like cute things."

Furuichi leaned back awkwardly - it would be the height of irony if he was in more danger from his escort than from the stalker. Natsume could get...handsy. Usually Furuichi felt flattered, but sometimes he felt like a lamb getting snuggled by a wolf.

It suddenly occurred to Furuichi that if the photographer was someone he knew, this might be the place to start. He pushed Natsume away with what he hoped was an unconcerned laugh, but might have been a tad too squeaky.

"So, Natsume senpai, do you know why Oga sent you?"

Natsume released his hold on Furuichi easily, though a little disappointed, "no, Oga just told Kanzaki that you shouldn't be alone for a while... so why is Oga so worried about you being on your own?" Natsume asked. A sudden thought occurred to him, "are you feeling ok? Not feeling –down? Depressed?"

Furuichi snorted, "I'm not suicidal, though thanks for asking."

Natsume sighed in relief, "well that's good – so why do you need babysitting then?"

"I DO NOT NEED BABYSITTING! OGA, DO YOU HEAR ME?" Furuichi yelled at the sky, "I WILL KILL YOU, YOU NO GOOD INTERFERING SHIT FOR BRAINS OVER PROTECTIVE BUSYBODY!"

"Busybody?" Natsume asked, raising an eyebrow at Furuichi as he caught his breath.

"Well he is," Furuichi finally replied, feeling a bit embarrassed as he noticed the passerbys staring at him.

"Over protective?"

"Shut up."

"Cute. But anyway, why am I here?"

Furuichi wondered how to respond. If Natsume was his stalker, then he had to be careful what he said. No one knew what the other boy was capable of, but he was definitely stronger than Furuichi, that was a given.

"Oga's sister found this website," he began, "and it had ...a lot of pictures on it. Of me... And I don't know who took them, so Oga's just a bit worried -"

"You don't know who took them?" Natsume interrupted him, alarmed, "But you look at the camera in half of them!" he said as he pulled out his phone.

"You've seen them?" Furuichi squawked in horror. He looked around, wondering if he should run.

"Well, yeah, if it's the same website, a friend showed it to me ages ago, ah here," he held out the phone, "These pics?"

Furuichi only had to glance at them to recognise them. He nodded, edging away.

"You said a friend showed them to you?"

"Yeah, but she didn't take them."

"How long ago – wait, SHE? You said a girl showed you?" Furuichi asked, suddenly less eager to run.

"Yeah, we work together. Shit, I would have told you about them if I knew, but I figured you had posed for them... this explains why you weren't showing the Red Tails."

"Why would I show them to the Red Tails?" Furuichi asked horrified. He didn't want anyone to see how fragile he looked in them, least of all the perfectly powerful girls from Ishiyama.

"Because you look hot," Natsume answered simply, "honestly, I never knew you had it in you. Then I saw these, and, well..." Natsume paused for a moment, then dropping the book bag, moved forward suddenly, and Furuichi found himself backed against the wall of the building behind him. Natsume was somehow looming over him, very much wearing his wolf face. "I made that towel picture my computer background you know."

Furuichi's heart was racing as he looked up at Natsume. Like a wolf snuggling a lamb, he had thought. Nope, wrong answer, zero points awarded - this wolf definitely wanted to eat him.

"Na- Natsume senpai, I have to meet my frieehehh-" Furuichi suddenly found himself unable to speak as Natsume placed a single kiss against his neck, his breath catching in his throat. Furuichi felt heat and shivers spread through his body as Natsume nibbled up his neck, his hands coming to rest on Furuichi's waist, his thumbs making small circles just underneath his school shirt.

Furuichi couldn't think straight. He had sometimes enjoyed Natsume's flirting, and his lips were currently turning Furuichi's knees to liquid, but he didn't really want to be doing this, though for the life of him he couldn't think of a reason to stop the hands, until Natsume spoke.

"There was one thing I didn't get to see in that picture," he said, his fingers tracing the waistband of Furuichi's pants, "I've been wondering what you had hidden under that towel," he murmured into the younger student's ear.

His words were like a cruel bolt of clarity for Furuichi, and placing both his hands on Natsume's chest, he pushed him away firmly, surprising Natsume with his sudden strength.

Head down, hair covering his eyes, Furuichi spoke, "that picture," he began, swallowing, "that towel picture that you liked so much," the bitterness in his voice causing Natsume step back, "that was taken through my window. My bedroom window. In my home. Where I'm supposed to be feel safe enough to get dressed and wear towels and sleep without worrying that someone's watching me! My room is on the second storey – they had to use a telescope to see in there! Can you imagine what that's like?!"

Natsume had backed away when Furuichi started shouting. He felt guilty, as well as a little stupid for doing exactly what Oga had wanted Furuichi protected from. However, looking at Furuichi now, fists clenched and brow drawn, he didn't think Oga had to worry as much as he was.

Raising his hands to show he was backing off, he spoke slowly to try and calm his underclassman.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that - "

"No you shouldn't have!"

Natsume paused before continuing, "I know, I- I just got carried away, I should have realised that the photos would mean something different for you, the way they were taken."

When Furuichi didn't say anything, he continued.

"Can I just say one thing? About the towel picture? Not about it about it," he rushed seeing Furuichi's scowl deepen, "but something that might help?"

Furuichi nodded cautiously.

"You know how Himekawa always goes on and on about the girls he fucks? All sorts of details, yeah? About the girls, and what they did?"

Furuichi nodded – he'd been a very attentive listener to those stories.

"Did you ever notice that Kanzaki never says anything about Yuka?"

Furuichi thought for a moment, then nodded again, "So? What does that have to with – my situation?"

Seeing that he was willing to listen, Natsume lowered his arms, "my point is that boys don't like to share their toys – Himekawa talks because he doesn't care about the girls, while Kanzaki doesn't talk because he doesn't want anyone else even thinking about Yuka like that," he explained, "I don't think your stalker is, you know, 'into you', because he put that picture up for anyone to see."

The theory did make some sense to Furuichi, though he thought he might have just been desperate for it to be true. He unclenched his fists, and Natsume quietly sighed in relief.

"Come on," Natsume said, picking up the forgotten book bag, "let's go meet your friend. I promise I won't try anything," he added when Furuichi looked at him suspiciously.

"You better not," Furuichi said as they started walking.

They spent the next few minutes walking in silence, Natsume annoyed with himself for blowing his chance, Furuichi trying very hard not to wonder how far it might have gone if he hadn't snapped.

"What?" Natsume asked the second time he caught Furuichi glancing at him.

"Oh, um, nothing, just making sure you're not going to try anything."

Natsume rolled his eyes. He probably deserved that but, "I'm not some sex crazed monster – I know no means no." He looked across at the other student, "not that you were saying no."

Furuichi looked very determinedly at his shoes, but Natsume could still see he had gone bright red.

"It - it wasn't, awful," Furuichi mumbled to his shoes, "not that I'd want to do it again," he hurried to explain, "but it was... nice," he finished lamely. "But I prefer girls."

Natsume worked very hard to keep from grinning widely, "your denial face is cute, you know. There's nothing wrong with kissing boys too."

"I know that. Sorry, let me clarify – I definitely do not want to do it again with you. Other boys might be ok." Furuichi looked back at the stunned senpai, "did you really think you're the first guy I've ever kissed? I have a stalker for fucks sake– like you said, I'm hot." He flicked his hair for emphasis, and Natsume burst out laughing.

He threw an arm around Furuichi's shoulders. "let's get you to this friend of yours."

A few minutes later they approached the cafe where Miki was waiting, and Furuichi ran on ahead, Natsume following slowly.

"Hey Miki."

"Hey. What took you so long?"

"oh, uh, that was - "

"Sorry, that was my fault," Natsume said slipping in with a smile, "got a bit held up."

Furuichi was not blushing, he was not blushing, he was definitely blushing.

"Ok," Miki said slowly, looking between the two, "well are you ready to go now?" he asked, taking the book bag out of Natsume's hand while looking at Furuichi.

"Ye-yes. Definitely. Thanks for walking me," he said turning to Natsume, "but we'll be fine from here."

Natsume considered Oga's instructions - Escort Furuichi Off The Streets - for a moment, but remembering Furuichi's earlier stance, and considering Miki's current stance, decided it was unnecessary.

He waved to them as they left, observing Miki as they walked away, so caught him looking back before they turned the corner. For a moment he considered following them, but decided against it. Miki was definitely the kind of boy who didn't like to share his toys.

Author's footnote

emotional gauntlet, run.

the boys dont like to share theory was told to me by 2 different male friends, so plz dont think i'm being sexist. girls get possessive too, but we talk about everything anyway... I think we can all agree that kanzaki/yuka are an indirect kiss away from cannon, so i went there.

also, i just checked the filters, and apparently there are no furu/natsume fics on . *feels like a pioneer*