Note: I'm losing steam!...or I don't have enough alone time to write often. I know, excuses, excuses. Sorry it took so long!

Losing My Religion

Part 6

Bon smiled to himself as he walked through the halls of the academy. He'd managed to avoid Rin completely since yesterdays math class and it was already noon the following day. That made today a success so far in his mind.

The best way to get through this... this dilemma of his, was to just to act normal and eventually the problem would go away on its own, right? And that was all the more likely to happen the less he saw Rin. Out of sight, out of mind... [Only sort of though, if how much he thought of the boy today was any indication] Besides, he doubted his stomach could handle anymore encounters with the half-demon after that stunt he'd pulled yesterday. He could remember clear as day the feel of Rin's arm around his shoulders and back, pressing his face to his uniform shirt. But the part that made him feel as if a hundred butterflies were having a party in his stomach, was the soft scent that was, if he had to use words to describe, like spiced-earth which lingered underneath the heavier smell of laundry soap and fabric starch. It was Rin. The fact that he could even take a millisecond to commit that scent to infallible memory over the burning need in his lungs for proper air, which he was denied by the crushing embrace, said just how badly he was afflicted by this curse.

"Hey! Hey, Bon!"

Speak [or rather thoughts] of the devil...

He spun around at the call to find Rin rushing through the hoards of other students towards him. For a moment he considered ignoring the teen and continuing on his way in hopes that the other wouldn't be able to catch up with him. He couldn't do that though, they had already made eye contact. It would be obvious he was trying to avoid him. Besides what if Rin had something important to say? He waited.

Rin grinned brightly when he caught up and held out a small box tied shut with a blue ribbon to him. Bon arched one eyebrow at it in question. "What's that?"

"It's lunch. I made it for you as a thanks for all your help," Rin was positively beaming.

Bon now felt as if the hundred butterflies all popped speed and decided to have a rave in his stomach.

Didn't that idiot realize how weird this was? Probably not since he must only think of him as a regular old friend. Bon was, in actuality, the weird one this time.

He took the offered box with a shy sounding, "thanks." Why did his very own vocal chords have to defy him now? And why did that fool have to keep smiling at him like that? Bon didn't need a mirror to know he was blushing like mad at this point...

When Rin failed to simply leave like he'd hoped, just continued to grin up at him stupidly, Bon pondered his next move. He was supposed to go meet Konekomaru and Shima in the cafeteria, but he didn't want to invite Rin along. Shima had already caught him more than once staring at Rin in class. The pink-haired teen had even given him a funny smirk the last time, and even though Koneko would never let on that he knew something Bon didn't want him to, the boy was a more keen observer than Shima. You should never underestimate the small quiet ones. The two knew him better than anyone else did, and so Bon feared they might actually be able to hear the racing of his heart when Rin was near.

Aside from all that, Bon still would have to spend lunch period with Rin. It would be just plain rude after he'd gone through the trouble of making him a bento not to. Not that he wasn't rude to him on a near regular basis, but he did have enough manners to know where to draw the line.

"How 'bout we sit outside?" he suggested.

Rin agreed quite enthusiastically then proceeded past Bon, grabbing his wrist as he went, so he could drag the other through the halls at his accelerated pace. As much as Bon was having trouble getting over the small fact that Rin was almost holding his hand, he didn't even have the capacity to protest being pulled around. And so he uncharacteristically followed behind Rin in a happy daze.

The pair found a bench that was shaded by some trees outside the front of the school. They sat side by side in silence, one scarfing down his lunch like there might not be a tomorrow, the other picking at his own like the bird his hair made him resemble. Bon couldn't help but feel tension of an odd sort hanging in the air around them, and it made his nerves tight as the strings on an instrument.

"Whadsa maddar? Domchu-" Rin swallowed his mouthful, "-like it?" As if his dinning habits weren't already bad enough, he even went so far as to point at Bon with his chopsticks. Bon eyed him with one arched brow and his upper lip ever so slightly raised in disgust. Seriously, why did he have to like this guy of all people?

"Ew! Swallow your food before you talk to me, why don't ya? I don't want you spitting all over me, idiot."

Rin laughed, as if what he'd said was funny rather than mean. Strange. Wasn't he supposed to get angry and insult him back?

"I didn't even!" Oh good, here came the argument Bon was expecting. "So quit being a fuckin' priss and eat your food, why don't ya?" The last part sounded like a mocking parrot, with the way Rin tried to copy the other boy's gruff voice and accent.

Normally, Bon would be right up to taking the bait when Rin teased him, but that face he was making, it was just too funny to not laugh at. He could only assume with the way he was squinting his eyes and scrunching his brow that Rin was trying to make himself like a mirror as he faced Bon. It was way overdone though and his mouth was so obviously trying to scowl against a smile that it twitched with the effort. It was a face only a weirdo could wear and a mother could love. Bon's severeness cracked into a grin and he chuckled warmly at Rin's awful humor.

The look melted from Rin's face, as did the tension from the air, as he started to laugh as well.

"Ah, thank god!" Rin elbowed Bon with good nature in the side, "You've been looking so serious this whole time I was scared your hair might start greying by the end of lunch even through all that dye!" He sighed a small sigh. "I like hanging with you, but I don't wanna catch your stress. That shit's contagious you know!"

"So is your idiocy." Bon lightly bopped Rin on the top of his shaggy head before scoping up one of the savory crepe rolls into his mouth. His taste buds sang with joy. He chewed slowly as to enjoy the morsle a bit longer. After swallowing he just had to ask, "Where did you learn to cook like this anyways?"

"Self taught!" Rin beamed with pride and not an ounce of humbleness. He knew he was good. "Amazing, aren't I?"

"Tch," Bon scoffed, "yeah, conceited too."

"I could teach you if you want," Rin offered and then added with a sly smirk, "then you wouldn't have to be so jealous of my great skills."

Bon considered the offer for a moment. Cooking was a skill he really did lack, and with his mom not around sandwiches and instant noodles had become dietary staples at school. While it was fun at first to eat junk all the time, by now it was starting to get old.

"You'd teach me to cook?" He asked incredulously. It just didn't seem like something a guy like him would be very good at or even enjoy. He imagined he would look quite out of place in a kitchen. But then again, he would have never pegged Rin to be the culinary master he was. Bon would put a bet on it though that the half-demon would look damn cute in an apron. He quickly evacuated the mental image of it from his mind. Gotta keep cool here, he thought.

"Yeah, I'll teach you to cook. My place, tonight." Rin was never one to back down from a challenge, and he'd said it with arms crossed over his chest and such finality, that it would be hard for Bon to say no now. "It'll be fun! I promise." Rin added at the sour look Bon gave him.

Cooking lessons with Rin in that big empty dorm... Would it be just the two of them again in the old building? Bon should really say he didn't want to, or make up an excuse, or do something to get out of it! But, instead of an argument a simple, "Sure," came out of his mouth when he opened it. Why was that one word of committal so easy to utter that you could get yourself into trouble without even thinking first? He was sitting way too close to Rin, and idiocy actually was contagious after all. That had to be it.

"Great!" Rin pumped a fist in the air, looking far too excited for something like a normal cooking lesson. It sat like a bad omen in Bon's mind and he scowled his usual scowl times two.

"Sheesh, Bon! Don't look like that, you might hurt my feelings," Rin made puppy eyes. "...or give yourself wrinkles. Seriously man, you need to relax."

Bon dropped the scowl. "Now you sound like Shima," he smirked.

...Oh shit! He'd forgotten about Shima and Konekomaru.

He pulled his cell phone out from his pocket, which he'd left on silent for class. Sure enough the little new message icon flashed on the display. He opened it.

from: Koneko ^..^

We've been waiting for you in the cafeteria. Where are you?

Bon fired back a quick reply: Sorry, had to stay after class to help teacher with something. Don't wait up for me.

It was a lame excuse, and he could just imagine what Shima would say when he saw it [something along the lines of; how could he act like a goody-too-shoes while looking like such a punk], but Bon wasn't used to lying and so he wasn't the best at making them up.

"Who you talking to?" Rin leaned in close to get a peak at the cell screen. Bon hastily shut it off and hid it back in his pocket.

"No one. Just Koneko," he said quickly.

"Oh, your posse coming to meet us?" Rin questioned.

A slight twitch tweaked at one brown eye. "They're not my posse already!" Rin just snickered a bit instead of looking threatened by the anger in his voice. Bon's eyes rolled this time. "And no, they aren't coming... They're busy." He lied. Again. He hoped Rin wouldn't ask what they were busy with because he was running out of lies really fast here.

"Too bad," Rin paused to, what would appear to be, think, "oh well, guess it just means I get you all to myself." He finished off the sentence with a wink and a pointy-toothed smirk that were both so fast Bon wasn't sure he hadn't just imagined them.

Imaginary or not, it still made his neck warm and his throat dry. What the hell was that supposed to mean? He felt so awkwardly surprised that he couldn't even ask. Rin was already back to finishing off his fruit milk anyways, acting as if he'd never even made the flirty little comment, so Bon had no choice but to not mention it. Quirky as he was, Rin had a tendency to make stupid comments. That's all it was, Rin being Rin, nothing more. Bon tried to explain this to his racing heart, but the damn thing didn't want to listen.