Hiroki had forgotten how long it had been since he laughed like this.

He would never admit to the older man that his presence was actually quite pleasant (especially since that would definitely be an ego booster and the professor could afford to lose some.) That he was actually enjoying their time together. They were already 2/3 through the noodles, which was also surprising.. He never thought he could eat so much. Well, honestly he was so encased in their conversation that he didn't take note of the chop stick to mouth till they pressed against bare plate. By that time, Miyagi was already filling his plate with more in addition to some leftovers that Hiroki had lying around in the refrigerator. And Hiroki began filling up their cups with more alcohol - already having gone through one bottle and halfway done another, a long forgotten bottle of rum, which he bought for Nowaki's birthday. Too bad the young trainee was busy with work, so he decided to surprise the young brat later with it.

And a month later, he was, only absent was the person who he actually bought it for. Hiroki chuckled as he sipped at his drink, ignoring the clock which chimed three.

"Alright, enough for me." Miyagi responded as he leant back, his hand slipping into his left back pocket to grab something, "Am I allowed to smoke?

"You still smoke?" Hiroki asked with a confused expression, which wasn't really an answer. But he vaguely remembered one conversation in the teacher's lounge when the man had expressed his willingness to quit smoking. Apparently the smell had a tendency to rub onto his lover, who had quite a few surprise visits from his family. Apparently there was a limited number of times you could use the cabbage excuse before they start becoming suspicious. Hiroki was surprised he remembered especially since he was busy with his own problems.

Miyagi responded by grabbing an almost finished pack from his pocket and slipping one against his lips. When asked for a lighter, Hiroki directed him to the fireplace, "Things still not going great with your boy toy?" He asked after a moment. Which surprised himself, more than it surprised Miyagi. He always carried himself in a way that seemed completely apathetic to other peoples relationships. He barely said anything about his own, if at all.

It also confused the professor, but he didn't fail to reiterate his problems to his favorite teaching assistant temporarily removed, "He left me."

"Again?" The response was almost immediate.

"So mean Kamijou!"

Hiroki simply rolled his eyes and tapped his fingers on the table twice with a pause, "... So what are you going to do? Get flowers? Stalk his house? Confess to the dean all your wrongdoings and hope you get only a smack on the wrist instead of jail time?"

Miyagi rolled his eyes, "Nah..." He sighed as he sat up straight, searching his pockets for the lighter which he probably left at the university,, "Honestly, I think I'm giving up."

The sudden clink called Miyagi to look up in surprise; thankfully the cup was empty save for a tad bit. "What the hell?!" Hiroki stared at Miyagi in confusion, "You're going to give up just like that?"

Miyagi raised an eyebrow and resisted the urge to scoff, "It's not 'just like that.' Frankly, I can't deal with the new generation. Every single time we fight, he goes running. I'm just tired of chasing after him, you know? I knew a younger boy would be bad for me." Miyagi chuckled cruelly, which was short lived as Hiroki banged his fists over the table, standing up almost immediately. The sight made his cigarette fall out of his lips towards the ground.

"I thought you loved him!"

"..." Miyagi looked at him, "Honestly, feelings change."

Feeling change. Hiroki turned almost immediately, bowing his head, his expression indecipherable. Miyagi watched him curiously as he walked towards the bookshelf and, if he didn't have sharp reflexes, he would have found the sharp corner of a book in his face, "Kamijou!"

"Get the hell out of my house!" Hiroki yelled as he threw three of the same kind of book towards him. When Miyagi stood and tried to grab him, he ran straight towards his bedroom. The professor was hot on his trail.

"Oi!" Slam, Hiroki pressed his hands against the door, trying to make sure it stayed closed, even though the lock would have given it plenty support.

"I told you to leave. Don't worry about the lock, just leave." No one comes here anyway, he thought bitterly to himself. It was probably the drinks talking.

As the shock died down, Miyagi moved his back against the door as he realized he wouldn't be able to take the door down anytime soon, "Please just tell me what's wrong." They were having such a great time too.

"Go away." Hiroki took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to stay calm as his hands suddenly felt weak, ".. Feeling's don't just change."

"They can." Miyagi replied gently,, "But it's not necessarily a bad thing."

"Shut up! What do you know?" Hiroki snapped at him, rolling onto his back slowly while closing his eyes, "We... were supposed to be together forever."

"You and me?"

A cruel laugh escaped Hiroki's throat before he sniffed, trying to hold back a sob, "What are you, an idiot?" Miyagi hummed in response, "It's... Nowaki. He's changed. He doesn't come home... as much anymore and when he does... well, do you see him?"

There was silence on the other end, and Hiroki resisted the urge to bite his lip. What was he doing confiding in the professor? Wasn't there anyone better than the damn professor? Hiroki didn't have many friend's to call his own. And it would be a cold day in hell when he told Akihiko about his relationship problems. Moreso the fact he had one, though Akihiko probably already figured that out.

"... Ah, see. This new generation, they think they can trample over old men hearts."

Hiroki wiped his face with his arm, "Speak for yourself, I'm not..." He dropped his arm as Miyagi waited for him to continue, "You know.. something deep inside tells me this is a misunderstanding. That maybe he's just busy with work, which I can understand. But I can't stop fretting over it. It's affecting my ability to work, my eating habits, my mental state, if.. if I knew it was going to be like this..."

"Kamijou..."

"I'm sorry Professor. I didn't mean to get angry. I know your relationship and my relationship is different, I shouldn't have overreacted." He took another breath, "Could you please leave? I'd like to be alone."

A moment passed before Miyagi replied,"Alright." Hiroki was relived, he didn't think Miyagi would agree so easily, though something inside him also struck him in a discomforting way which he shrugged aside, "Call me if you need anything. and I mean it."

"I will..."

Hiroki heard footsteps on the other end which soon became quieter. When he heard the door click closed, Hiroki relaxed his shoulders. He stood by the door a little bit longer, his thoughts all over the place. What compelled him to tell Miyagi his problems? Why did he have to ruin the moment they were having together?

... Why did he always do that?

Hiroki shook his head out of it, arguing that he needed to calm down. His eyes slowly moved towards the book he was reading, there was still a few chapters, he could stay up and read. Perhaps he would catch Nowaki in that time.

First things first, he had to lock the front door or Nowaki would probably question him later about it. He ignored the urge to do just that, and unlocked the bedroom door. Before he could even leave the room, however, a pair of footsteps grew louder as the figure darted towards him and before Hiroki could slam the door in his face again, it was forced right open. Hiroki growled as he struggled with the professor for a few seconds till he was completely overtaken by the older man, turned around and slammed into the wall beside the door, his hands pinned behind his head. No fair, Miyagi had just about the same number of shots than he did.

"I guess I'm going to be familiarized with that anger I've been trying so hard to avoid, eh Kamijou?" Miyagi joked, half-smiling. Hiroki glared at him hatefully, "You know Kamijou.." His voice went soft and so did his face which surprisingly made the younger man stop struggling as he watched him, "We can't blame ourselves, for falling in love I mean. No matter how manipulative, or abusive, or shitty those people get. Love is love, and sometimes we just can't control it."

Hiroki looked at him confused.

"So we hope for the best and we have to hope our lovers love us the same way too."

"... Doesn't he?" Hiroki whispered, turning his gaze downwards.

"You have to ask him that yourself Kamijou. I can't give you an answer I don't know. I barely even met the guy." Save for the time Nowaki almost punched him out for almost doing some unspeakable things to Hiroki. It was his own damn fault anyway, "but I will always be here for you when you need a pair of ears."

Hiroki's chest was becoming more painful, his face becoming pitiiful, it was getting harder to breath, "Why? Why are you saying these things? You should say it to that boyfriend of yours, not me."

Miyagi shook his head and smiled sadly at him, "Because, Kamijou, we have a history outlasting those two and no one will ever take that away from me."