Want a Pineapple, Sensei?
Chapter Six

Phew. This is fun.

Mukuro, a hand on Fran's chest, shook his head. "Fran, don't," he whispered. "It's a mistake."

Fran looked away immediately, unable to look at his sensei. His face was crimson with embarassment. 'He pushed me away...,' Fran thought, more humiliated than he'd ever been before. "Why's that?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"You know why," Mukuro said softly, "I'm much, much older than you, plus I'm a man, and you're a man, too. It's wrong, Fran."

Fran remained silent, feeling crushed. 'Just once,' he thought, 'if he'd just let it happen ONCE...' "What did you think I was going to do?" Fran asked quietly.

"... I thought you were about to kiss me," Mukuro replied, "Wasn't this the case?"

Fran couldn't find his voice anymore, not even when Pineapple-sensei began to sharpen his claws on the wall. He quivered, looking down, then just barely managed to say, "I think you should go now, sensei..."

'Don't go.'

"Perhaps you're right."

'No, don't go.'

"Then, I'll see you on Monday, right?"

"Wait...," Fran said weakly, his voice cracking. He looked back up at Mukuro. "Just once," he pleaded, "I've wanted to kiss you since the first day of school, sensei. I love you."

Fran stared into Mukuro's eyes, desperately needing the confirmation that everything was still all right between them. Mukuro walked over close, then leaned down, and touched his lips to Fran's for a moment so brief, so fleeting, that Fran was positive it didn't even happen. "Is that okay?" he asked.

"... For now..."

A few hours after Mukuro had left, Fran was called for dinner. But he didn't move. He continued to stay in bed, his eyes teary as he mulled over what he'd done. When he'd come in the first time, he was going to give his sensei the best kiss he'd EVER had from a high school boy.

But instead he'd recieved a peck on the lips, and he didn't give sensei ANYTHING.

He kept thinking about the moment that he'd been pushed back. Should he have suppressed his weak submission to the rejection and simply increased his force on the matter? Shouldn't he have just let Mukuro leave afterwards?

Fran couldn't stop thinking that he'd ruined the friendship between them.

Monday, after class.

Fran walked over to his teacher after everyone else had left, and murmured, "Are we still friends, sensei?"

"We're teacher and student," Mukuro replied quietly. Fran looked away.

"I want you to continue to treat me like Saturday never happened," Fran murmured.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Mukuro said, staring at the boy. He stood. "Fran, you're brave. Very brave, and I praise you for this. However, I am your teacher."

"I know that," Fran said, "I know about how far apart we are. ... Will you tell anyone?"

Mukuro sighed. "It's admittedly difficult to keep my mouth shut, but I have done so this far."

"Don't tell anyone," Fran begged, "You have no idea how hard it was to ask for you to-"

"I don't know? You think I don't know how hard that is?" Mukuro asked. "Fran, please. I know exactly what it's like. Just because I'm older doesn't mean that I don't understand."

Fran shuffled awkwardly. "I suppose I should go."

"No. Sit. Fran, I'm going to tell you a story about myself."

Fran sat down, and looked up to his teacher. "Fran, when I was your age, there was a man who I was so deeply in love with, and I could never talk to him. He wasn't just the teacher, either. He was the PRINCIPAL, Fran. I used to call him by his first name, try to joke with him, and he almost always shot me down. Then, one year, on Valentines Day, I summoned up my courage and I confessed to him."

"What'd he say?" Fran asked. Mukuro shook his head, his head in his hands.

"He said I was too young for him. And he told me to go to collage and get a worthwhile job instead of 'wasting my time.' So I know what it's like, Fran. Every feeling, every sentiment, I know it all."

"What was his name?" Fran pressed. Mukuro thought for a moment.

"I called him Kyou-kun. I don't actually remember his surname, I never called him by it."

"And you gave up on him after that?"

Mukuro looked into Fran's eyes. "Why do you need to know?" he asked quietly.

"I want to know what choice you made so I can make my decision," Fran murmured. Mukuro nodded.

"I gave up everything."

Fran stood, then bowed. "Sensei... I'm going to go home. I only came here to see you, after all."

"Wait."

Fran glanced over his shoulder. "Hm?"

"I just realized how... how honest... how kind you've been recently," Mukuro said, standing and walking over. "You haven't been yourself. Are you sick?"

"Lovesick," Fran said bitterly. Mukuro smiled, and put his hand on Fran's cheek.

"Acting kind for my sake alone... that's so... well, it just shows me that you're serious."

"Sensei?" Fran murmured, taking a step back. "Are... YOU okay?"

"I was a little mean yesterday, I see that," Mukuro sighed, letting the boy slip out of his palm. "Fran, you wanted one kiss. I'm going to make it fair now..."

Fran gasped as his teacher came in and pressed their lips together, his gloved hands on the boy's shoulders. Fran closed his eyes and kissed back, blushing darkly as he took his sweet time to realize what was going on. After a few moments of blankness, Fran finally reached up, and hugged Mukuro tighter than ever, making sure that he could savor the one kiss for as long as possible.

"R-rokudo-sensei, I have... assignment...," said a student, walking into the classroom during that single, precious minute. Mukuro backed off of Fran, pushing the student back, and walked over, taking the assignment.

"Thank you, Lancia," he said. The boy stood there for a moment, paralyzed, as Mukuro leaned in close. "You won't say a word about what you just saw to ANYONE, okay?"

Lancia nodded dumbly and stepped back. "I... I won't say a word, sensei...," he stuttered, "I promise."

"Good boy, now scuttle on home, would you?"

"Y-y-yes, Rokudo-sensei!" Lancia said, before running away.

Mukuro looked back at Fran. "Well that was unfortunate," he sighed. "But it was better than Byakuran, or one of the other class clowns. ... Fran?"

"Thank you so much, sensei," Fran said, his eyes bright. "I'll try to act more normal tomorrow..."

Mukuro held out his hand. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah," Fran agreed, accepting the handshake. "Let's do that again some other time."

"Kufufufu. I can't make any promises, Fran," Mukuro sighed. The illusionist shrugged, then headed out. Mukuro grinned once he was alone. "Am I wasting my time again, Kyou-kun?"

-End Chapter

Woo! I had that fluff that someone told me to add! XD PLEASE REVIEW! I'm getting really into this story now. It kind of sounds like a Junjou Romantica story though, doesn't it? :/ Hmm... whatever.

Please review... again!