Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Anyone who has attempted to get out of bed after breathtaking morning sex will say that it is not the easiest of endeavors. The post coital feel of a lover holding on for dear life is a sign of a certain type of happiness. Needless to say, neither Serizawa nor Keito-kun wanted to leave the futon and head about the day's requirements. Both wanted to remain in the comfort of each other's company and forget that there was anything beyond the door of the bedroom. The real world was knocking on the door with a sledgehammer though, so both ended up rising, showering, eating, and heading on their respective ways after a chaste good-bye kiss before opening the door. Once they left the apartment and went a number of blocks Serizawa turned right and Keito-kun turned left. Neither noticed the other turn and look at the other as they walked further away from one another.

Serizawa made his way to the bookstore and walked through the rows of shelves filled with books that were above his reach. He would never get over how many books the store included. Books were such a magical thing to the young man; capable of taking anyone on an adventure completely different from life, even if just for a short time.

It took only moments for the clerk to don his work apparel and make his way toward his section of the store. Without even having to look at the schedule he knew what he needed to do the job was so engrained in his mind. First would come checking the shelves for any loose books that needed to be put back in the correct spot. Then he would put out any new arrivals that had come in the night before. Third would find the small man cleaning around the shelves and making the store look presentable. All while this was going on he would be assisting customers as once they were within eyesight he needed to drop what he was doing and ask if anyone needed any help.

The chores were tedious and mundane, but that was the job description and Serizawa intended to do his menial job with the utmost honor he could muster. It wasn't just himself he needed to honor anymore, or even just his family. Now he had Keito-kun who looked up to the older man and Serizawa didn't want to dishonor the man who stood by his side, even at the worst of times, by doing a poor job.

The clerk was in the process of putting a few stray books back where they lived when Okano rounded the corner and got into the young man's face.

"I don't want to start spreading any sort of stories, but there has been a girl here looking for you." His co-worker whispered. "She's rather tall and quite the looker I am told. I don't know how often she's come by, but maybe you have a conquest."

Serizawa rolled his eyes and sighed. His dutiful co-worker was more than aware of his orientation, so in light of that piece of information, she must have been teasing him.

"I'm not joking though. She has apparently asked for you at least three times in the past week. Is there something you're not telling me?" Okano give a sly wink and headed off toward her section of the store.

Okay, so she wasn't lying. That left the question; who was asking for him by name? Serizawa spent a short time pondering this question until a customer came forward and started asking for a book on MRIs, at which point the sales associate housed in the petite package came out and it was all business.

/GG/

Lunch time came and went without any incident. Keito-kun had to meet with his study group, so Serizawa ate alone after reading the three text messages the younger man had sent after every one of his classes had ended. Each message caused the man to blush and he could just see the shaking fingers of the sender as the tall boy attempted to type out the characters on the phone. Even in the short amount of time the two had been together, Serizawa had come to learn the student's little quirks just as well as his quirks were learned by the other.

It was during the two o'clock dead time that he was called to the front of the store where a lady was standing off to the side. He watched her as she watched him make his way to the check-out counter where the associate nodded to the blond who was a number of centimeters taller than he. That was when Serizawa recognized the girl. She was the one who liked Keito-kun while the poor sap had been totally oblivious to her advances.

Still, she was in a bookstore, so one had to keep it professional.

"Hello. I'm Serizawa-san. Can I help you?" He asked with a respectful bow.

The girl gazed him over and blinked a few times. Then started to speak, "Can I speak to you in private Serizawa-san?" She asked.

"Uh…sure." He wasn't quite sure what needed to be said in private, but he went with her anyway after getting the nod from his manager.

He followed her to a corner of the store where no one was reading and pointed out a cushy chair she could sit on if she so desired. She did and he sat on the armrest of the chair directly across from her. The silence that followed was rather uncomfortable until she began to speak; then the level of comfort completely disappeared.

"I found out about you from Keito-chan…" There was no way this was going to end well. "I wanted to make my intentions clear."

The clerk was at a loss for words. Surely if Keito-kun had mentioned him to her she would have been made aware of their relationship.

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand…"

"My name is Tazaki, you can call me Tazaki-san."

"Okay." Serizawa nodded. "What exactly did Keito-kun tell you?"

"He said that he likes you very much and you make him happy."

Internally the man smiled to hear that Keito was telling people how much he, with his lack in personality, was making the big oaf happy. Externally he kept his poker face in check.

"I don't think someone like you can keep him happy though. So I am here to request that you break it off with him so he can move on and I can pursue him."

Well that wasn't beating around any sort of bush at all. Blunt and to the point, the words felt like a slap on the face with a spiked shoe. It took a few moments of reeling before Serizawa was ready to respond.

"Did you ask him about his feelings before speaking to me?" He asked simply.

"I am speaking to you as the elder of the group. Keito-chan is very naïve and childish to the ways of the world and being with someone like you in a romantic sort of way is a corrupting influence. He has never had a girlfriend and with you in the picture he will never have a chance to see if he prefers girls to boys."

The thing that bothered Serizawa about this whole conversation was that she was right. Keito-kun was very young and just learning about himself; then again there were times that even at 23 Serizawa was learning about his own self too. He couldn't deny her sound logic, no matter how much it hurt to hear.

When he didn't immediately respond she continued. "Eventually he will realize it was a mistake and it will hurt far less if it's broken off now rather than later."

Serizawa felt as if a lead-tipped poison arrow had just shot him in the heart. He blinked soundly before speaking.

"Tazaki-san, I don't mean any disrespect because I do understand where you're coming from…I really do. But I think it's in rather poor taste to push yourself into something or to try and break it off when one of the party isn't here to speak for himself. I know that Keito-kun is overly shy and would probably be burying his head in his hands right now with embarrassment at this conversation, but I also think he's capable of making his own decisions. Yes, he's 19 and subsequently still very young in many ways, but it's his own decision to make, not yours or even mine." He took a deep breath before he continued because he wanted the next sentence to be said with as much conviction as he could muster even though she had effectively knocked him on his ass. "I don't for one moment believe that what Keito-kun and I have is a mistake and I can say openly that I care deeply for him and his wellbeing. If our relationship does turn out to be a mistake and we part ways, well that is for us to decide and no one else."

Serizawa felt a sense of pride well up inside of his heart as he spoke those words. Normally not the most articulate when it came to certain things, he knew his stance on the issue needed to be made so she would back off and let himself and Keito-kun figure things out together.

Tazaki sighed and slightly rolled her eyes. "I had a feeling you would react in this manner, but I will not give up. I don't believe you can offer him what I can offer him. I believe he is just going through a phase and will snap out of it at some point."

The conviction in her voice was rather alarming and the stone cold stare of her eyes could have frozen hell over in a matter of moments, but Serizawa intended to stay strong and not let this creature dampen his spirits. On more than one occasion he had wondered if the happy ending Keito-kun had asked about would happen, or if the boy would suddenly get tired of the indecisive older man. Then the youth would do something extraordinary like call at that exact moment with a shy reminder that he loved him, or show up with a latte in his hand to give to his older lover. It never ceased to amaze him that the kindred nature of his and Keito had grown exponentially on a daily basis.

"In other words Serizawa-san, I won't give him up." She said in a harsh tone. At this the woman rose and walked out without so much as a by your leave. Serizawa was left in her wake with his heart thumping a hundred miles a minute and sweat dripping down his back.

The buzzing of his mobile jarred his senses and he answered the phone.

"Hello Keito-kun." He didn't even have to look at the caller ID.

"Seri-san. I wanted to call and…" Keito stopped abruptly which probably meant he had an audience and had shied away from continuing for a time.

"I understand Keito-kun. I love you too." Normally Serizawa wasn't much for public displays of affection in any manner in front of other people, but since only one other person was in his vicinity he didn't seem to care at that moment.

He could almost hear the blush coat the younger man's face through the wireless telephone and it made him smile to know he could bring his loveable giant to such a state.

"I'll see you soon Seri-san," came the shy answer.

The line disconnected and Serizawa found himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. Keito-kun didn't like any sort of confrontations and tended to shy away from anything that involved such that would embarrass him. This situation would embarrass him to no end. The two options were to not say anything, which Serizawa felt would be akin to lying. He didn't want to lie or put on the front of lying because he cared too much about Keito-kun to leave him in the dark.

On the other hand, informing the youth would make it more difficult to function in the school setting. If Keito knew this girl's intentions he would go out of his way to avoid her and thus, make schooling that much more difficult to deal with. The school setting was already difficult for the impossibly shy man, and while it didn't seem possible to further himself into the realm of shyness, Serizawa knew anything was possible.

He slowly closed his phone as he watched the door the girl had left through not five minutes prior. The day had started out so positive and now it was spiraling downward. Being stuck between a rock and a hard place was not where Serizawa had wanted to end his day.