Marco and Gaou were walking home from football practice. It had been about a week since the mountain, and things had settled down. Marco was glad that so little had changed; sure, he and Gaou spent more time together now, and of course there was the kissing, very nice kissing where Gaou did these things with his tongue - he cut himself off before that thought went any further and kept himself from blushing. He suddenly heard someone shouting his name, and he turned around to see Maria jogging up to them. When she got to them, she grinned and said, "It feels like it's been so long!" Maria hugged Marco tightly. "How've you been?"

Marco smiled as he returned the hug. "I've been doing very good. How about you, how's college treating you?"

"Oh I've been fine. Just fine. College is really interesting actually."

"Really? That's good, are you still studying to be a teacher?"

"Yeah. So how's football going? I'm sorry but I haven't been able to catch any games."

"That's fine. Hey, do you want to stop by my house? I'm sure my mom would like to see you again."

"That sounds great."

Marco turned to Gaou and gave an apologetic look for having ignored him before extending an invitation to him as well. "Do you want to join us, Gaou?"

"I have homework to do." And with that he walked off, heading to his own home. Maria rolled her eyes. "Why was he even walking this way? Any way how's school going for you?"

He answered as they walked to his house. They spent the evening in the kitchen chatting and catching up with what was happening in each other's lives. When it was time for Maria to go, she hugged him before walking out the door.

Later that night, as Marco was falling asleep, he realized that Gaou hadn't called him – for the past week, he had called every evening to just talk. It was nice to know more about each other that way, than just knowing what you could by playing football. Gaou discovered that Marco had broken his left arm when he had fallen off of a tree at age five. And Marco found that Gaou had gotten in his first fistfight in second grade when another kid had stolen his lunch. These facts themselves weren't that important, but it was the getting-to-know what the other had done in their lives that made it significant. After all, those little were things the ones which made them who they were. But it wasn't like Gaou had to call or anything, he was probably just busy or had forgotten. He sighed and rolled over to drift off to sleep.

But over the next few days, Gaou always seemed to busy. He arrived at every practice for the match against the Kyoshin Poseidons. But when the time came to walk home, Gaou always says he can't come over, leaving Marco to walk home with Maria. Not that walking home with her was unpleasant; no, he enjoyed the chance to catch up with her. He just missed Gaou, he missed the way they would just be talking and then how Gaou would be kissing him, making him forget in an instant everything that he had been saying before. He missed the feeling of leaning against Gaou and feeling as if nothing in the world could touch him. He didn't know what was wrong, but whatever it was, he wanted to work things out between the two of them. With that decided, he headed off to see if he could find Gaou.

Gaou had been lightly dozing before someone else entered the locker room. Those light, steady footsteps, that gentle swish and bubble of coke in a glass bottle all sounded like Marco. But just to be sure Gaou, let his eyes slip open just a fraction. He had been right. He wondered if he had come to wake him up for practice or to discuss something else about football. But he didn't get up and instead waited for Marco to make the first move. Marco sat down next to him and rested his head against his shoulder. Gaou soaked in Marco's presence, as warm breath caressed his shoulder. Marco drew one of Gaou's hands into his lap. Pale fingers explored the massive palm and fingers gently, tracing contours and scars. Gaou found himself almost slipping back asleep in the warmth that came from contact. But all too soon, Marco sighed and pulled away and Gaou heard him walk away.