Notes: This is not an Atoyuu chapter XD This is actually Ootori/Shishido; a bit of an interlude really. The story of Atobe and Yuuta continued next chapter :D

Archive: NO.

Reviews: Appreciated. :D Thank you to everyone reviewing this story so far and especially to Aynon, who left a huge review that just made me laugh XD

Satisfaction

17.5; Seventeen point five

By Miki

"Choutarou," Shishido said, glancing nonchalantly over his shoulder.

"Huh?" Ootori looked up from the paper he was holding. "Sorry, Shishido-senpai!" he apologised, quickly, hurrying his steps to catch up to the other boy.

"Hey, stop looking at that stupid thing already," Shishido complained a little, narrowing his eyes at the essay Ootori had been studying ever since they left school. He snatched it from Ootori's hands quickly, flicking the pages roughly until he reached the last page with Ootori's grade on it.

"Jeez," he whined, "it's not even that bad! Why're you so annoyed about it?"

Ootori snatched the paper back, frowning at his senpai, cheeks flushed a dusky pink. "I just wanted a better mark, that's all. Is there something wrong with that?"

Shishido blinked, a little surprised at Ootori's reaction. "What's so bad about an eighteen?" he grumbled, shoving a hand into his pocket jerkily. "Just practise writing more."

"It's not an eighteen," Ootori mumbled, sounding more than a little sulky. "It's a 17.5, and you know what? Hiroya got a nineteen and I saw his essay and mine was better."

Shishido struggled for a moment to remember who Hiroya was. He remembered the name, and he knew he didn't like the guy but he couldn't remember why… Ah, that's right. He was the brat in Ootori's class who had the habit of sticking to him.

"I just really wanted…" Ootori trailed off, feeling stupid. He glanced at Shishido's face, feeling the blood rushing to his ears. What was he talking about? Shishido-senpai didn't want to hear about this type of stuff.

"Sorry," he said, bowing his head slightly.

Shishido grunted a little, eyes looking straight forward as they walked.

"Hey… Shishido-senpai?" Ootori asked, pushing his essay back into his bag and stepping a little closer. He licked his lips, watching the way Shishido refused to look at him.

"Are you-"

Shishido cut him off quickly. "Hey, you know about Atobe…"

Ootori tilted his head slightly. "What about him?" he asked hesitantly. A funny little feeling passed through his chest quickly; tight, feeling like it was spreading heat through his body. Shishido-senpai wasn't thinking about Atobe, was he?

"Do you think he really has a girlfriend?" Shishido looked away as he spoke.

Ootori wasn't sure how to respond.

"… Doesn't he?" he asked in return, a moment later. "I mean… I thought maybe there was a girl he liked, but maybe they're not…" He turned a little pink as he spoke. "Maybe they're not dating yet, right?"

Shishido didn't respond.

"Choutarou, don't you think it's weird that… none of us have girlfriends?"

"Eh? Why would I think that, Shishido-san?" Ootori asked quickly, confused as to where the conversation was going.

Shishido was silent again, and Ootori's fingers fiddled with the pockets of his trousers for a moment. He wasn't really sure what Shishido was thinking, but he'd been really weird this afternoon, like he was lost in thinking about something else. It hurt Choutarou to think that when Shishido was like this sometimes, he didn't tell him why…

"What about that girl the other day?" Shishido asked suddenly, breaking the odd silence again.

"Um… what girl?" Ootori blinked, wondering what Shishido was talking about this for.

"The one with the cute hair and funny shoes," Shishido snapped back, turning and shooting his friend a slightly uncomfortable glare.

"Um… Oh, that one," Choutarou blushed. He'd almost forgotten about that girl, but now that Shishido was talking about her again… The other day she'd come and confessed to him while he was eating lunch… with Shishido. So of course he'd remember her.

"You know I'm not good with girls," he said jokingly, giving Shishido a smile. "I'll probably never get one like this…"

Shishido ignored the comment. He didn't care if Ootori was bad with girls. They still flocked to him like he was magnetised. He'd seen his friend's locker on Valentine's Day, and he'd counted at least five girls who'd confessed to him while they were eating lunch this term alone!

Every time it happened, he felt like telling them to go away and find some other sucker to take their letters and presents and pretty words. Idiots.

They didn't even know Ootori. They just liked his face and his regular's spot and his stupid, dumb, goofy, shy, too-nice personality.

Everyone did.

And sometimes he'd admit to himself that he was jealous, because sometimes… it made him want to monopolise his friend, and keep him for himself. It made him feel just like a selfish kid.

Seeing Atobe acting like an idiot about a girl was making him realise that sooner or later, Ootori would probably be acting the same way. And… He didn't really want to see it when it happened.

He heard Ootori speaking again, and ignored him. Sometimes he knew he was jealous of those girls because they took away his time with Ootori. Other times, he was jealous because he knew that Ootori didn't look at him the same way he looked at girls.

Girls were small. Their hands were small and their bodies were soft to the touch. They had those long, fluttery eyelashes and big eyes and soft, long hair, and their voices were high and soft and he wasn't any of those things at all. And he envied them because they were always doing what he couldn't.

If he had any guts, he'd probably admit he liked Ootori. But then, what after that? He couldn't confess, because confessing was for girls.

He realised that Ootori was silent, and suddenly looked around him, realising he was standing all alone.

What the…?

(S)

Ootori hurried out of the shop, seeing Shishido a couple metres up the footpath. "Shishido-senpai! I asked you to wait outside the shop," he half-complained and half-worried as he rushed back to him.

"Huh?"

Ootori sighed. It felt like he'd been having a really weird conversation with someone who wasn't really thinking the same thoughts at all, and Shishido still seemed really out of it. Jeez, everyone was being weird lately.

Oshitari and Mukahi were always whispering and plotting, and Atobe was always looking cranky or depressed because of that girl (well, Oshitari said odds were 5 to 1 it was the girl and 27 to 1 it was his hair…) and now Shishido-senpai too!

"Here," he said, holding out the cup of hot coffee to Shishido, looking away as his senpai took the paper cup from him. "You seem really tired."

Shishido took a sip, realising that was where Ootori had disappeared to. Honestly, who needed shop-bought coffee when he could just go home and make some? Wasn't it a waste of money? But Hyotei students were good at wasting money, right? Sometimes it reminded Shihsido that he was just a little different to everyone else there.

Then he glanced at Ootori and realised he wasn't holding a cup at all.

"Hey, how come you're not drinking anything?"

Ootori shrugged. "I'm not thirsty."

Shishido grunted, looking away as they continued walking.

The footpaths here were pretty quiet, so they didn't have to struggle to hear each other over crowds, and they could walk as slowly as they wanted. It was nice, Shishido thought.

He kind of liked walking like this with Ootori.

Just two of them. No Atobe in sight, no Sakaki and no Mukahi.

"Hey," he said, thinking of Atobe and Yuu-chan again. "Do you think Atobe's serious about that girl?"

Ootori shrugged, feeling a bit weird.

He didn't like Shishido talking so much about girls. It made him feel weird. He knew Shishido was a year above him, and sometimes he really felt like it made them different somehow. Sometimes he told himself that was stupid, but then, lately he always seemed to be looking for the evidence that there was some difference between them; that Shishido was actually older, or that he was more experienced… or something.

"Why are you asking anyway?" he couldn't help but ask, curiosity getting the better of him.

"No reason," Shishido retorted quickly, sounding more than a little defensive. "I just thought if you hurried up and got a stupid girlfriend, then all those girls could stop interrupting our lunch all the time," he grumbled.

The moment the words were out of his mouth, he blinked. That wasn't what he'd meant to say at all…

"But if I had a girlfriend, then I wouldn't be able to spend so much time with you, Shishido-senpai," Ootori protested.

Shishido took a long sip of his coffee through the plastic straw, wincing at having so much hot liquid in his mouth. He swallowed and gave a shrug.

Ootori frowned a little at Shishido's response. He was starting to feel really nervous.

It wasn't like Shishido-senpai to stubbornly stick to a topic like this… or even to talk about something like girls. They never normally talked about girls.

Girls.

"Is there a girl you like, Shihisdo-san?" he asked quickly, suddenly stricken with the thought that maybe that was why Shishido was asking.

Oh, but what if there was? What was he supposed to do then? He hurriedly looked over at Shishido, casting him a glance out of the corner of his eye that he hoped the boy wouldn't notice.

His cheeks were really pink, and Ootori recognised the way Shishido was standing meant… he was really embarrassed.

"Shishido-senpai! Who is it?"

Oh no. He really shouldn't have asked. He didn't think he wanted to know the answer.

"I… I'm not telling you," Shishido said quickly, shoving his drink at Ootori as a distraction.

Ootori took the paper cup from him and sipped the last bit of coffee. It was only lukewarm now, and it was way too sweet for his taste.

"Shishido-senpai… Can't you tell-"

"You know, this is kind of like dating anyway," Shishido suddenly said, causing Ootori to scrunch the empty cup as he gripped it tightly.

"Ah, what do you mean?" he asked nervously, heart suddenly beating a ferverish beat in his chest. The way Shishido said the words, he sounded totally bored, like he wasn't even caring what he said, but… What sort of person said those kinds of words without meaning something?

Ootori wondered if he was being too hopeful. Was it okay to be hopeful about something like this?

"Ah, nothing!" Shishido replied quickly, eyes a little wide in susprise. He couldn't believe he was hearing these words… out of his own mouth. He quickly glanced at Ootori's face, but his expression was unreadable.

He couldn't really tell what the other boy was thinking, and he was glad that at least they were nearly at the corner where they usually split up.

Ootori threw the cup into a nearby rubbish bin and turned around to Shishido again, who was already turning to go.

"So… see you tomo-"

"Wait."

Shishido looked down at Ootori's hand on his sleeve, looked across at Ootori's eyes fixed on the ground. "What?" he demanded quickly, impatience making up for the tightness in his chest. He needed to get out of here fast, before Ootori thought something weird. Before he noticed…

"Um… well…" Ootori began, painfully slowly.

Shishido frowned.

"Do you want to…?" Ootori corrected himself, raising his eyes to meet Shishido's.

"Want to what?" Shishido responded, annoyed.

Ootori sucked in a breath. "Do you want to go out with me?"

There was silence. Neither boy spoke for a moment; fast, nervous heartbeats all they could hear in their ears.

Next to them, the traffic flew past silently.

"Shishido-san?" Ootori ventured.

Shishido snorted. He quickly turned his head, hiding his face from Ootori. He couldn't believe Ootori just said that. Was he joking? No, Ootori didn't joke about things like this…

"I… It's just that I… Well, you said it's like we're kind of dating already, right?" Ootori explained hurriedly, "and I really… I like you!"

Shishido smiled a little, face still turned away from Ootori. Oh, what the hell was in that coffee that was making them both blurt out this stuff?

"So I… Shishido-san…" Ootori continued, sounding so uncertain that Shishido had to say something before the younger boy lost heart.

It was possibly the most romantic response to a confession he'd ever given.

"Yeah, whatever."

(S)

He didn't feel it coming, but one minute he was standing there, and the next he was standing there and Ootori had thrown his arms around him from behind with a loud "Oh! Shishido-senpai!"

"Hey, Choutarou?" he asked embarrassedly. "What are you doing?" He could feel his ears turning red.

"Shishido-san?"

"What?"

"Can we go on a date?"

Shishido pretended to consider for a moment. "… If you let go of me."

"Right now?"

"Yes, right now," Shishido scowled, rolling his eyes.

(S)

"I meant let go of me right now, not to go on a date right now," Shishido half-protested.

Ootori was dragging him by his sleeve, eagerness getting the better of him.

"Wait!" The younger boy suddenly said loudly, stopping and turning around to face Shishido. "I just realised…"

"What?" Shishido asked suspiciously, recognising the look on Ootori's face.

"Hey, Shishido-senpai? If we're dating, does that mean I can k-kiss you?"

Shishido shifted a little uncomfortably. The hopeful look on Ootori's face made him feel weird, like he was kicking a puppy if he said no.

"J-Just shut up and do it if you want to," he scowled, crossing his arms in front of his chest and making a noise of annoyance.

Ootori's face was as red as a tomato. Shishido wasn't looking any better.

"O-Okay," Ootori stuttered a little. "Then… I'm doing it now."

"Stupid! I said just-"

But Ootori cut him off. He shyly raised his hands and held them gently to Shishido's face. His lips met Shishido's slowly; uncertainly, as Shishido awkwardly pulled him closer.

It wasn't a perfect kiss.

Shishido's mouth tasted like sweet coffee. Ootori's body felt too hot too close to Shishido. Their mouths moved awkwardly, uncoordinated against each other and they pulled apart a little breathlessly.

The corners of Shishido's lips twitched as he looked at Ootori, who burst into laughter.

"Oh, that was awful Shishido-san!"

"Shut up! You're not any better, Choutarou!"

(S)

"Do you think I'd get a pass if you were grading me?" Choutarou asked, feeling silly.

Shishido rolled his eyes, trying not to smile at his friend's childishness. "No."

"Not at all?"

Shishido gave him a long look. "Maybe an eight point five," he conceded, half-joking.

"Out of ten?" Choutarou asked hopefully.

Shishido gave him a deadpanned look. "Out of twenty."

"Eh? That's even worse than my essay!"

Shishido smiled a little. "Right."

Choutarou smiled back, pink still tinting his cheeks. "So can I practise on you now?"

"No."

"But how will I get better if I don't practise?"

"Tomorrow."

"Can I stay over at your house tonight then?"

"No."

"But it'll be tomorrow in a few hours."

"… Choutarou."

"So, at school then?"

"Definitely no!"

"Just one more? Now?"

"… Fine. Just hurry up and do it already."

"Shishido-san…" Ootori gave him that look; not the puppy dog look. It was the other one; the other one like he was staring at Shishido and seeing a halo or something.

"Stop staring at me like that," Shishido complained, grabbing Ootori. "I said, if you're going to do it, just do it already or I'm going home," he snapped, and Ootori grinned.

He really didn't have a clue why he'd blurted out what he did today – after all, he'd been thinking it for… a really long time without ever saying anything before – but he was glad he did.

He pulled off Shishido's blue baseball cap quickly, feeling like a kid with a box of candy.

Shishido's cheeks were bright pink, eyes wide with surprise and then narrowed in annoyance, and before Ootori realised it, Shishido had pulled him closer and pressed his lips to Ootori's.

And Ootori thought that it was better than anything else. Better than acing Jirou. Better than beating Seigaku. Better than a seventeen point five. This was perfect.

.tbc.