Hello, fellow readers :-) First, I want to thank everyone for reviewing, liking and following my little story! It really means a lot to me and this is the stuff that keeps me writing :-) Right now, due to my work schedule, I think I can manage to update once a month so please be patient.

kaminokoe: That is exactly why I love fanfiction! The manga/anime gives us an idea and then it's up to us to fill it with life and, of course, smut XD And Hotsuma and Shusei are the perfect pair because they have it all, the drama, the tension and the love. I am getting carried away a little here...

Kitkat3195: Yeah, we all feel bad for Hotsuma sometimes ;-) But this is what makes him so adorable and in my opinion, he is one of the most lovable characters. He has depth and his absolute devotion toward Shusei and their partnership makes him my favorite right up there with Shusei.

Guest: Thank you, I am glad you like it :-)

Eva: Wow, you made my day :-) It's not easy to keep them in character since I have my own ideas where the story should go and going back to the character every time can be hard. Sometimes, I write something and then let it sit for a couple of days only to wipe it out completely just because one of the characters doesn't want to cooperate. And Hotsuma can be really stubborn LOL - so I'm glad that they feel real to you :-) Yes, I have been reading the manga - which is by the way freaking awesome!

Lizz1792: I promise that Hotsuma won't have to suffer longer than what is necessary for this story ;-) So please bear with me, there is light at the end of the tunnel :-) And regarding Tachibana, I think he's great. He is like a father figure, much more accessible than Takashiro-san. While I believe that they both care, Tachibana is much more human (literally and metaphorically speaking) than Takashiro-san. Maybe not as sexy though ;-)

Fireblaze1807: I had this picture in my mind about Hotsuma and Shusei as kids. And then there is this scene in the anime where young Hotsuma opens the curtains to let in the stars and the night sky while Shusei is completely stunned LOL - so I imagined how it must have been both being in the huge mansion all by themselves. And since they are so cute I loved the idea of them holding hands - sigh...

Enough with the chatter, on with the story :-)

Quietly, he turned the doorknob and listened inside. It was just as silent as in the rest of the mansion so Shusei must have had gone to bed already. Opening the door all the way and stepping into the living room he found it lit only by the little reading lamp next to the couch.

With a sleeping Shusei on it, the dim light casting an orange glance over the figure that was curled up under a blanket.

For a moment, Hotsuma simply stood there, staring at his brunette friend. A thousand thoughts were running through his head but only two of them came to the forefront of his mind.

Shusei was undeniably beautiful and he obviously had been waiting for him to return.

His heart clenched in his chest, his throat felt constricted all of a sudden and the air had gotten considerably thicker over the last couple of seconds. Hotsuma was rooted to his spot, not able to move since he didn't want the moment to pass where he could watch the object of his desire without being caught.

He let his eyes wander over the face he loved looking at so much that it sometimes hurt, the mess of brunette hair that was spread across the pillow, they followed the delicate jaw line down the curve of Shusei's neck to where the hem of his shirt began and then he took in the whole picture that was simply too captivating to look away from. There wouldn't come the day when he would grow tired of that sight.

To him, Shusei was perfection. There would never be another that he would look at in the same way as he was looking at Shusei right now.

Out of their own volition, his feet took a step forward, then another and another until he was standing right in front of him. Not sure what to do next, he knelt down until his face was on the same height with Shusei's. A stubborn lock of brunette hair had fallen across Shusei's cheek and Hotsuma couldn't help but reaching out, brushing it away gently, his fingers touching the silky skin of his face. He let them stay there for a moment longer than necessary just to savor the feeling of Shusei's skin beneath his tips.

When his sleeping partner stirred he jerked his hand away, falling on his behind from the sudden move.

"Jesus Christ, don't do that!" He whispered loudly, hoping that he hadn't been caught in the act. His heartbeat was a steady drum in his ears and his first instinct was to flee the room. Instead, he watched, completely enraptured, how Shusei's eyes fluttered open. The world around him was blended out as the young man in front of him blinked a couple of times and then looked at him, a small smile on his lips.

Hotsuma's heart stopped right there. Time had just ceased to exist.

Oh fuck. He was certainly going to die of embarrassment right here on the spot. Why, out of all the possibilities out there, had he had to touch him? He could have just looked at him but no, he had touched him and now Shusei was awake because of that. While his mind went along scrambling incoherently, drawing up all the different ways he was about to be humiliated, he didn't notice the hand that came out of under the blanket and reached for him.

"… hurt." The gentle touch of Shusei's fingers around his wrist brought Hotsuma back into focus, his heart stumbling back into a staccato rhythm.

"Huh?" He stared at the fingers that encircled his arm and then he looked up to meet Shusei's gaze.

"You are hurt." This time, the words registered and his eyes moved to the wound on his hand. Oh. It must have had happened when he punched the tree.

"It's… nothing." He mumbled, growing more embarrassed with each second that passed. Shusei was still holding his hand and the area where they touched seemed to be the dominating thing on his mind. Each nerve came together in that one single spot, creating a fuzzy warm feeling that was spreading throughout his whole body. Needless to say that all other processes were being on the back burner at this very moment. Which included the ability to speak, apparently.

Shusei threw back the blanket and slid from the couch to the floor where Hotsuma was, bending over the wound to examine it. He watched in awe as the brunette leaned even further down to what seemed to plant a kiss on the scratch. When there was only the fraction of an inch left between his hand and Shusei's lips reality finally caught up with him and he pulled his hand away quickly.

"It's… f-fine." Judging by the rate his heart was beating in chest from the almost kiss he was sure that he wouldn't have survived the actual feeling of Shusei's lips on his skin. He was overly aware of Shusei's presence now, his ruffled hair, his pajamas that weren't buttoned all the way up and revealed just enough of his partner's well sculptured chest to make the sweat break out on his forehead.

"We will need to put a band aid on it or you will stain my sheets with it." Shusei didn't raise his head nor did he move. And for the first time in weeks, Hotsuma really looked at his friend and heard the unspoken question behind the words that had just been spoken.

Will you stay with me tonight?

How could he ever not have had noticed the insecurity in his friend? Before his inner eye, everything fell into its place. Shusei normally wasn't one to interact much with others. But because of his gentle and calm demeanor everyone felt drawn to him. Since there wasn't much resistance from his side Shusei was always surrounded by other people but he always seemed to be out of place somehow. Friendly, yes, but always distant.

Only the people he cared about got to know the true Shusei - the one that gently admonished when he was worried or the one that made a smart ass comment when he wanted a certain someone stay out of trouble. It was his unique way to show that he cared.

Dumbstruck, Hotsuma held out his injured hand like a peace offering.

"Right." One word sentences seemed to be the way to go in order not to look and sound like a complete idiot. However, inwardly, he wanted to smack himself senseless with the nearest object for being so awkward but he didn't trust himself. For once, he wanted to do the right thing and not let out a biting remark to cover up his own shortcomings.

Shusei suddenly raised his gaze at him and flashed him a smile that was both adorably cute and impish. Before Hotsuma could even respond - even though he seriously doubted since it practically wiped each existing thought from his mind - Shusei bustled into action.

"I'll be right back, wait here." The brunette got up and turned to go to the bathroom to retrieve the band aids from, leaving Hotsuma staring after him, mouth open. When his brain recovered from the short circuit caused by his partner's smile and kicked into gear again he sat up, running his healthy hand through his hair.

Was it just him or was it incredibly hot in their room?

Before he could ponder about the question any further Shusei was back with the promised band aid. A few quick moves and the small strip was applied to the scratch. Shusei's fingers brushed over the wound, not wanting to let go of his hand. His own heart beat was so loud in his ears by now that Hotsuma was sure that Shusei was hearing it, too. Breathing was getting harder with the second and he tried to swallow the lump that had been building up in his throat.

Still, he couldn't bring himself to pull away, completely captured by the featherlight caress, his heart thumping so wildly that he was worried for a second that it would give out. He felt quite lightheaded which made it all but impossible to think clearly, too thick was the haze Shusei's proximity had wrapped him in.

"We should go to bed now. It's late and we have school tomorrow." Shusei's voice broke the spell and pulled him out the fog that clouded his mind. Partly, at least. But it was enough to bring back basic body functions like movement and speech.

"Huh?" Well, scratch speech but movement definitely worked. He followed Shusei into the bedroom.

While his brunette friend went straight to his side of the bed and crawled under the comforter with a heavy yawn Hotsuma undressed himself until he was only wearing shorts and t-shirt, discarding his clothes on the floor. Then he made his way over to the other side of the bed, sitting down sideways on the edge of the mattress.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Snuggling into the sheets, Shusei took the thought right out of his head.

It's been too long.

The words were there, right on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't say them out loud. His voice would have failed halfway through, he was sure of it. So all he did was nod.

Shusei sighed next to him. It wasn't a heavy sigh, it was lighter, one of those small sighs that is carried by a happy thought.

"Good night, Hotsuma."

He quickly mumbled his response, too afraid that the lump in his throat would betray him and Shusei turned off the lights. The room went dark, the only light source that was left was the pale moonlight that shone through the window.

Hotsuma laid on his back, staring at the ceiling. The moon was casting shadows which flickered into different shapes and sizes as clouds moved through the night sky. He still was way too worked up to sleep but he knew that Shusei was tired so he kept quiet and didn't move.

He had no idea for how long he had been watching the play of light and darkness only that it must have had gotten really late by now. Sleep wouldn't be a bad idea. Tough luck, he was wide awake. Even though all the excitement had left him mentally exhausted, physically, it had had exactly the opposite effect. He was so wired and coiled up inside that sleep seemed to be impossible.

The conversation with Tachibana-san had left him wary of his temper. Until now, he hadn't really thought about it, his regular outbursts had just been a part of his personality, helping him along the way to cope with the rejection and bullying he had experienced as a kid. By not letting any of this get to him he had managed to keep himself sane but to what expense - he had pushed away the one person that meant the world to him.

The fire inside of him, his gift, talent or curse - depending on how one looked at it - didn't mean to mend, when it was released it consumed, eradicated and destroyed. It had almost destroyed Shusei years back. The scars were proof of that. He had never ever meant to hurt the gentle and quiet Shusei.

It had taken him a long time to accept that Shusei had gotten these scars while rescuing his life. Without them he wouldn't be here. Now that he had accepted the fact he had to abide by it. Never to look away again wasn't as easy as it had sounded when he had made the promise but he would be damned if he was to give up now - for his and for Shusei's sake.

Next to him, the brunette was breathing in a slow and steady rhythm, indicating that he was fast asleep. He faced him, long dark eyelashes resting on beautiful alabaster skin, his face relaxed, the corners of his mouth drawn upward almost imperceptibly to the slightest smile. He looked happy.

For the slightest moment, he thought that Shusei looked happy because he was spending the night but he wiped that silly thought right off his mind. As long as he knew his friend he would always smile in his sleep so this wasn't any special.

Carefully not to wake him, Hotsuma turned onto his side to get a better look. This time he would only look, the scare from earlier still fresh in his memory.

Shusei's hair was disheveled, surrounding the delicate features of his face in a lovely mess. He had one hand stowed away neatly under the pillow while the other was resting next to his cheek. His skin was almost glowing in the pale light that was cast through the window by the full moon.

Unashamed, his eyes wandered to Shusei's mouth, wondering not for the first time what it would be like to feel it upon his own. His lips were rosy and plush, the lower part a little more than the upper. They were almost feminine in their display. His fantasy was running higher with each second he kept staring at this alluring piece of his brunette partner's face so he forced his eyes away from it and let them wander south to his jawline and neck only to find himself even more intrigued.

Oh fucking Christ. He was doomed.

The entire sight was literally breathtaking. Hotsuma released his breath as quietly as possible that he hadn't know he had been holding. With whatever was left of the sane part of his brain he forced himself to breath normally.

When his heart rate was down to 'I just ran a marathon' level he turned on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling. As he was feeling right now he would probably be up all night long. But he would be lying if he had said he wasn't happy himself.

He was here with Shusei, in his partner's room, in the same bed. And it felt fucking right.

Next chapter, meeting the enemy and even more advice. As it's planned right now, there will be two or three more chapters so the end (lemon, my friends, lemon) is near XD Please leave a review, they always make my day!