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Reviews: Appreciated. :D Thank you kindly to aynon and Lady Tenebrae again and thank you to Ria Sakazaki :D I hope you all continue to enjoy the story.

Satisfaction

Chapter 9

By Miki

Yuuta peered around the end of the aisle.

The library was busy this afternoon; children running from end to end and people shuffling down every aisle.

The white fluorescent lights overhead and the yellow sunshine streaming through the small windows made people's faces appear funny shades of colour, and he had to squint against the light to see who was standing in the English section.

Not seeing any noticeable heads of grey hair, Yuuta wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

He walked down the aisle to the middle and looked at the titles of the books on the shelves and wondered if he could actually read any of them.

It wasn't that his English was terrible – well, it wasn't as good as his brother's, and it wasn't as good as Mizuki's – but the threat of having to give up club activities if his grades dropped was a scary thought.

Thinking about what Mizuki would do to him if he let his grades drop and had to give up club activities was even scarier.

(S)

Atobe walked through the English section of the library, glancing down each of the aisles until he reached the small fiction section.

He recognised Yuuta easily.

The St Rudolph's uniform stood out like a sore thumb among the other public school uniforms, and Atobe's eyes were immediately drawn to it.

Whoever thought brown was a flattering colour had been sadly mistaken, he reflected, although he had to admit that Rikkaidai might possibly have an uglier uniform yet. (Yellow being rather unflattering on just about everyone.)

Sneaking up on Yuuta wasn't hard. Atobe really hadn't been trying, and Yuuta still jumped when he realised there was someone right behind him.

He smirked with satisfaction as Yuuta turned around and scowled at him.

"A-Atobe-san? What are you doing here?"

Atobe picked a book up off the shelf and flicked through it, pausing in giving his reply.

"We're in a library, Yuuta. What does it look like I'm doing?"

Yuuta gave a shrug and a bit of a scowl in response, turning the pages of the book he was holding.

"What are you doing?" Atobe returned, feigning interest in his book as well.

Unfortunately, he'd managed to pick up a rather boring book. Romances weren't his thing after all, especially not when they measured six hundred pages and weighed about a kilogram.

Yuuta closed his book and pushed it back onto the shelf, squeezing it in between two other large books. "I have to read… more…" he grumbled out, not sounding very happy about it.

"You mean for English?" Atobe clarified, taking his chance to shove his book back on the shelf as well.

Yuuta gave a nod, looking across at him. "I'm pretty bad at vocabulary… Saga-sensei said we should be trying to read a book every fortnight, but it's pretty hard."

Atobe perused the titles on the shelf. He could sympathise with Yuuta on that point.

He had no particular qualms about English, but for someone like Yuuta, he imagined it was harder than it sounded to keep up with a regime like that. A book every fortnight was okay if it was written in Japanese, but to have to read a book in English was time-consuming, and if Yuuta's club activities were anything like Hyotei's, then he probably didn't have much spare time.

Yuuta squatted down on the floor, peering at the titles on the lower shelves.

Atobe watched him for a moment and sighed.

Clearly Yuuta would need some help. He didn't really give the impression he was competent enough to tell the difference in standard between the books, and he'd probably end up picking out Tolstoy's War and Peace if Atobe left him to it.

As it was, a couple titles caught his eye, and he picked out one. It was Bernhard Schlink's The Reader, an easy book if he remembered correctly.

"Here," he said, waiting for Yuuta to look up at him before he dropped the book rather nonchalantly.

The book hit Yuuta on the head.

"Ow," he yelped, though Atobe was sure it was more of an automatic reaction than anything else.

If Yuuta thought that book hurt, there was always the complete collection of Jane Austen's works sitting on the shelf to the left.

That book wasn't even a paperback.

"What's this?" Yuuta asked, flicking awkwardly through the book, now that he'd stopped rubbing his head.

Atobe leaned back against the bookshelf and crossed his arms, regarding Yuuta's position on the floor.

"It's a book, clearly," he began, finding it amusing to tease Yuuta.

Yuuta returned Atobe's comment with a blank stare, waiting for the rest of the explanation.

"You might not like the look of it," Atobe continued, giving a roll of his eyes, "but it's a straight forward book to read."

Yuuta looked at the book doubtfully, a frown on his face.

"Easier grammar and vocabulary than Miller anyway," Atobe finished off. "And you won't have to ask Mizuki to read the whole thing to you."

"I didn't ask Mizuki last time," Yuuta protested, getting up off the floor. "He just came in and wouldn't leave me alone after that."

Atobe watched Yuuta out of the corner of his eyes, pushing himself off the shelf and turning around to run his hands over the tops of the books.

Hearing Yuuta mention Mizuki's name put him in a bad mood.

Yuuta always made it sound as though he and Mizuki were joined at the hip, and it was starting to annoy Atobe.

Yuuta ought to know by now that there were more important people around than Mizuki. Mizuki was not the only person in existence and quite frankly, if it weren't for the fact that he was Yuuta's manager and seemed to like putting a leash – or a hand, as it were – on him, Atobe wouldn't even have bothered paying him a second glance.

Thinking about Mizuki made him feel annoyed.

Mizuki annoyed him.

"Are you going home now?" Yuuta asked, snapping Atobe out of his thoughts of Mizuki.

Atobe checked his watch and shook his head.

"Actually I'm thinking of going to see a movie."

"Oh," Yuuta said, and Atobe sighed, wondering if he had to spell absolutely everything out.

"You-"

"Ca-"

They both spoke at the same time.

"After you."

"Oh, well, are you going by yourself?" Yuuta asked, fingering the book in his hand.

Atobe tried to look thoughtful. "Well, I was going to, but you're welcome to join me if you'd like."

Yuuta hesitated, wavering between saying yes and saying no.

For the moment, the no side was winning. It would be easier just to go back to the dorms and do his homework. If he didn't go back, Mizuki would probably wonder where he'd gone, and he'd miss dinner if he stayed with Atobe and went to the movies.

Not that dinner was looking good at the moment.

Rumour had it, it would be something awful tonight.

Atobe flicked his hair and gave Yuuta an impatient look. "Well?" he demanded.

He felt oddly jittery, and the fact that Yuuta wasn't saying yes or no was really bothering him.

Who was he to keep Ore-sama waiting?

"Okay," he said finally, and Atobe let out an exasperated breath.

"Was it really that hard a decision to make?" he complained as he led the way to the checkout desk.

"I want to stop by McDonalds first," Yuuta said, following Atobe.

Atobe turned around, frowning. "Why?"

"Because I'm hungry."

"Well, be hungry for something else then," Atobe demanded, and Yuuta rolled his eyes.

"Like what?"

"I would hardly call McDonalds food. Anything else would be preferable."

Atobe considered. If they hurried up, they could probably fit in at least one main at a decent restaurant, although they might have to wait a little while. Failing that, there were always chocolate bars and popcorn at the candy bars at the movie theatre. Of course, he'd always be the first to say that chocolate was hardly a meal unless it was Belgian, but he supposed he could make an exception.

As if on cue, Yuuta's stomach rumbled.

"Oh fine," Atobe conceded, put out. "But I'm not coming in with you."

(S)

Atobe didn't like to eat his words.

He didn't like to eat McDonalds either.

"You know, if you eat any more slowly, we'll be here all night."

Yuuta shrugged. "Eat the fries if you're hungry. That way it'll take less time."

Atobe frowned and eyed Yuuta's fries.

They looked surprisingly edible, and Atobe made an effort to look away, ignoring Yuuta as he took a large bite of his burger.

"Sure?" Yuuta asked, and pushed the tray to the middle of the table.

"Of course," Atobe said, rolling his eyes. "Ore-sama doesn't eat second-rate junk food."

Yuuta stared back.

"So… Do you eat first-rate junk food then?"

"No."

Yuuta shrugged. "Whatever."

Personally, he couldn't see Atobe's problem. Food was food, most of the time. (Snails and other slimy garden-dwellers excepted.)

Atobe looked really uncomfortable sitting in his metal chair, and he was keeping his hands away from the table as though he'd catch something if he touched the surface.

Yuuta took another big bite of his burger as he watched him, resigned to the fact he'd probably be dragged out of here before he'd finished off his fries anyway.

Hyotei students were weird.

It was like they came from another world entirely.

He was nearly finished his burger when he looked down and realised half the packet of fries had disappeared.

Yuuta blinked.

(S)

Yuuta swung his legs out of the limousine, and stood up, contentedly stretching.

He ducked his head back in, to thank Atobe, when he realised the other boy was getting out as well.

"Shouldn't you go home?" Yuuta asked, aware that it was quite late, especially since they both had school the next day.

"Of course," Atobe responded smoothly, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes.

The movie had turned out to be more than two hours long, and sometime around the one-hour mark, Atobe had realised Yuuta probably hadn't had permission to stay out of the dormitory past dinner time.

"Er… Well, thanks for the movie, Atobe-san." Yuuta bowed his head.

Atobe didn't say anything in reply, and Yuuta awkwardly turned toward the dormitory building, waving his hand over his shoulder. "Night."

He walked up to the entrance of the building, feeling a lot more peaceful than he'd felt in a long time.

He realised he was probably going to get some sort of punishment for staying out past the curfew time, but he really didn't care.

It was weird, he realised.

He and Atobe had almost nothing in common, but Yuuta was starting to wonder if it wasn't more fun that way.

Apart from his brother and sometimes Saeki, he hardly hung out with friends from other schools. Maybe that was why he didn't mind Atobe so much anymore.

"Are you going to go in, or are you just going to stand here?" a voice asked from behind him, and Yuuta startled, turning around.

Atobe stood with his arms crossed, giving him a rather expectant look.

"Aren't you going home yet?" Yuuta asked, peering around him at the limousine that was still parked.

Atobe rolled his eyes. "Of course, but like I said, I'm escorting you to the door first."

Yuuta blinked and took a few steps experimentally, until he was almost at the doors of the building.

Atobe followed him.

"Why?" Yuuta asked, rather bluntly.

Atobe arched an eyebrow and stared at Yuuta, as though challenging him. "Is there something wrong with that?"

"Only people on dates," Yuuta pointed out. "I'm not a girl, you know."

Atobe snorted. "Of course I know. A girl wouldn't be so ugly."

"A girl wouldn't be able to stand you like this."

"Well then she's be a girl with poor judgement and bad taste, and I don't like them," Atobe huffed.

Yuuta rolled his eyes and walked through the doors.

"By the way," he said before Atobe turned to leave. "I'm free on Sunday."

Atobe gave a nod, putting his hands in his pockets as he turned and walked back to the limousine.

He really couldn't understand why, but he was starting to think that maybe there was something about Fuji Yuuta after all.

He just couldn't quite put his finger on it.

(S)

Yuuta couldn't sleep.

He'd rolled around so much trying to fall asleep that the sheets had been tugged from the sides of the mattress and had tangled around his limbs uncomfortably.

So he lay still, and stared up into the darkness of the room.

He could hear thumping in the room next to his, and somewhere else, he could hear someone's radio still on. Downstairs, he realised the office would be locked and the lights turned off, and he could hear a couple of bathroom doors opening and closing.

But none of that was what was keeping him awake.

He had no idea why, but suddenly Sunday felt like it was a long, long way away.

(S)

Yuuta didn't know it, but on the other side of town, Atobe was also lying awake. Of course, being Atobe, he hadn't tangled himself up in his sheets, but he was feeling just as restless.

The feeling of waiting for something just wouldn't leave him alone, and he eventually flicked on his bedside light and blinked hazily, wincing at the sudden brightness that filled his room.

He sat up and reached for his mobile, sitting on his bedside table.

It was after ten now, but Atobe figured that with all the sleep that Jirou got during the day, he could afford to sacrifice a little at night.

Atobe heard the dialtone for a moment or so, and then the click as Jirou picked up the call.

"Jirou, I want some advice."

.tbc.