Title: Aftershocks

Disclaimer: I wish the boys were mine, but they're not! I borrowed the characters from Takanaga-sensei

Warning: Language

Chapter 8

As Tetsuhiro headed back to Hamamatsu the next day he was troubled. 'Sempai wasn't himself last night. I've never seen him that…needy,' the younger man worried. 'He can be cranky, stubborn, and demanding, but the only time I've ever seen him desperate was right after the fire; nothing like that's happened recently, so why? Is he keeping something from me?' It felt like an end of some sort, 'Like he was saying goodbye; I don't like this!'

Souichi was irritated, "Shit, shit, shit! What was my problem last night? What was I trying to prove!? The only thing I accomplished was to get my ass worn out…we were at it all night,' he stopped right inside the front gate at the university and lit a cigarette. He looked around as he puffed away and noticed a few underclassmen staring at him. 'What's their problem? Is there something on my face? Are my pants unzipped?' He surreptitiously checked just to be sure, 'No, that's not it. Jeez, get a life people!' He headed over to the lab and once there completely forgot about the stares.

Later that afternoon he was rather forcefully reminded of the earlier incident. Sawanoi came in completely flustered, her hair looked like she'd been pulled through a hedge backward and her usual cheery attitude had vanished. "Senpai, we've got a problem… and it could end up being a big one!"

He took one look at her and had her sit down while he got her some water to drink. "What happened to you? You look like shit, Sawanoi!"

"Thanks a lot, you jerk! Yesterday when we had lunch some of my friends saw us together. I suppose we looked…cozy and they started speculating about why. This school's rumor mill is infamous and the stories have gotten a bit out of hand."

"Oh come on, Sawanoi," he snorted. "How bad could it be; what exactly are the rumors? What could a bunch of flighty idiots come up with?"

"Tatsumi-senpai, you just don't understand women! I've known some of those girls since middle school and believe me when a bunch of women get together; we can be worse, bawdier, than any group of men. No matter how lady-like a girl is, when she's with her own kind she changes. You have heard of peer-pressure, right?" He looked so completely disbelieving, Nagomi sighed and spelled it out for him, "Let's see: One is that I'm a cheating bitch who seduced you under the guise of being your lab assistant. The second is that you hid your true colors under a façade of scholarly interest while in fact you prey on innocent women who wander into your lair," she laughed. "That was a good one! The third is that you fell for me and seduced me away from Jun-san, that's my boyfriend, and we're about to run away together. I could go on, but I think you get the point."

As Nagomi was explaining the situation Souichi went pale and remembered the earlier stares. "That's crazy! Anyone who knows me knows better than that. There's no way anyone would believe that crap!"

"But Senpai, how many people on campus really know you? You just don't understand. Originally you were considered practically asexual, just not interested in anyone and with a horrible temper to boot. They were fine with that, believing you were completely devoted to your studies and off-limits. Now, however, that image has been shattered. Now you've become fair game, a walking target to be captured, conquered, and claimed. I'm so sorry about this! I feel a little to blame for what's about to happen. I should have known our conversation was out of place there."

Souichi couldn't help but feel she was being a little silly by overreacting like this, "How on earth could you have anything to apologize for? It's not your fault, don't talk like a fool. If what you say is true (and I have my doubts!) it's their doing, not yours. Now get a grip, straighten yourself up, and get to work!" He thought for a second, "Wait a minute, do you need to explain this shit to your boyfriend?" When she nodded he reluctantly continued, "Ok…go and take care of your business, I'll handle things here; but you'll have to make up for it tomorrow!" even though the words were gruff, his tone was kind, he knew she was upset.

She smiled gratefully and as she headed out the door, she turned back to him, winked and said, "Senpai, you're the best!" then she was gone.

'She's got to be exaggerating, there's no way the rumors are that bad! And if they were I can't believe I'd be targeted. I've been on this campus for almost eight years and have never been bothered, why would they start now?' He decided she was a fool after all and went back to work. When he took a break an hour later, he realized how wrong he'd been.

As he headed for the cafeteria, he noticed the stares. He had the uncomfortable sensation of having a target painted on his back. Some of the women looked positively predatory and a few of the men seemed pissed off. He decided to just ignore them, but while he was getting his coffee, a girl came up to him. She was a cute, little red-head who looked like she wouldn't hurt a fly and in a matter of minutes had the blonde literally backed into a corner! She wanted to convince him that they'd be good together and should go out and Souichi was completely at a loss as to how to handle it.

"But Tatsumi-san, we could have a really good time together, why don't we go out and see what happens," she fluttered her eyelashes and smiled up at him. When he tried to move her away, she grabbed his hands and leaned in to kiss him. That was when he reached his limit and he moved her away and scooted sideways to get some distance from her.

"Just a minute, I don't know what you're up to, but I'm not interested! Now if you'll excuse me…" he tried to edge past her but she pressed up against him, still trying to accomplish …something, he wasn't sure what. When she started to come after him, he bolted back to the lab.

Every time he left the lab to run errands, eat, go to the bathroom, there were more of them, ready to proposition him. He started keeping count after the first few and was astonished at the end of the day when he realized the number had reached thirty! He began locking the lab door just to feel secure. "What's wrong with these women!" he ranted to himself. "Are all the females on this campus, rabid sluts!? How am I supposed to work around here like this?" Some had even shoved notes and photos under the door to the lab. "I never realized women could be so aggressive, I wonder when they'll get tired of this game."

By the end of the week, Souichi truly felt as if he were being hunted. He couldn't even go to the library any more after three underclassmen had surrounded him there. His bellow of "Leave me alone, I'm not that easy!" became something of a legend around campus.

He was hiding in the lab again on Friday when Nagomi came in to work. She immediately saw how bad he looked; he had dark circles under his eyes and appeared to have lost weight. He kept jumping at every little sound. "Senpai, how much longer before you leave today?"

"I was planning on leaving around six, why?"

"I thought we could walk part-way home together, you don't look well and I can run interference for you if anyone tries to get too close," she was starting to worry about him, he really did look dreadful!

He thought about it for a minute, "Nope, I don't like the idea of using you as a bodyguard. I'm not a coward; I can handle a bunch of girls. Just how weak do you think I am?"

"If you were fighting men, I wouldn't worry at all! You'd just beat the hell out of a few and the rest would back off, but you can't do that with women. You're too much of a gentleman to deck them and they're wearing you down. You're going to make yourself sick and what would you do then, hmm? Are they even bothering you at home?"

"No, I'm safe at home. If they tried, I'd report them to the police and they know that. I just can't sleep, I keep having weird dreams and they're keeping me up at night."

"When does Morinaga-san return? Have you told him about this mess?"

"One more week; he'll be home next Friday. No, I didn't want to bother him with this. He'd only worry, or he'd try to weasel out of work to come back early. I hope this is over by then, I think some of them are losing interest….Maybe."

"I hope you're right, senpai," she wasn't so sure it would happen that quickly.

Nagomi finally talked him into letting her walk him off campus. Her presence did help keep the others at a distance and he was grateful. After they parted he decided he'd thank her properly the next time he saw her.

As Souichi walked home that night he wondered if it wouldn't be better to just tell them the truth, 'If they knew about Morinaga, that would probably make them back off, but I don't want to be targeted by homos either.' As he walked, he thought back to the beginning of his weird relationship with the younger man. It had started out as a normal friendship, but it all changed with that first kiss. He still couldn't believe he'd let it go in that direction. He remembered the first time they'd had sex. What a stupid mistake! If he just hadn't gone looking for alcohol, hadn't found that damned bottle, none of the past year would have happened. He stopped in surprise when he realized that he no longer felt angry about it, just relieved.

Once he got home, he decided take a shower. As the water poured over him, he relived the past year; all the good and the bad washing over him with the water and something inside him clicked into place and he broke down. It was as if a wall had disintegrated. Souichi felt like he was losing his mind and yet for the first time he could see clearly. He loved him! He really loved that idiot. Souichi started laughing and then crying again, "I'm getting hysterical!" but he wasn't angry. He was happy, happier than he had any right to be. He had been so selfish, had hurt Morinaga over and over again and again; and yet the younger man had stayed by his side. "I owe him an apology, I love him, ah and now I want him!" he groaned as he thumped his head against the shower wall.