A/N- This was supposed to get uploaded yesterday, but then I had to babysit and when I was done I had a headache and then... yeah. Excuses, excuses. But at least it's getting updated now, right?

Oh, and... I know Usagi's out of character, but remember, he's supposed to be... ^^

Thanks for making this my first story ever to get to 20 reviews in under like 7-ish chapters... you guys are awesome :D

Now, without further ado, hope you guys enjoy the chapter~!

"U-Usagi-san?" Misaki tried to force the emotion out of his voice, but could tell he was failing miserably.

"I'm sorry, Misaki. I love you." there was a resounding difference between having those words casually said to him as he left the house and hearing them over the phone, with so much emotion and truth behind them.

"Stupid..." Misaki mumbled, "I'm fine..."physically, at least, that wasn't a lie. But mentally, Misaki was still very not-fine.

"Stop lying, Misaki. There's no way you're fine." Usami's voice was filled with a regret that Misaki had never heard there before, and his out-of-character behavior was surprising.

"I'm okay, really..." Misaki wasn't sure if he was trying to persuade Usami, or was just trying to make himself believe it.

"Are you? Really?" Usami sounded doubtful. "Where have you been staying? With your brother?"

"N-no, I'm staying with a... a friend, actually." Normally, Usami would have been insistent at knowing which friend, and how soon he could be home so that Usami could have his 'daily dose of Misaki'.

"Oh..." It was clear that Usami had something he was hesitant to say.

"Um... where are you at, though?" It felt like an odd reversal of roles, with Misaki taking a bit more charge in the conversation than he usually did.

"I'm being detained at River Glen something-or-other." Well, that much Misaki had already known.

"Is it like... prison?" Misaki automatically assumed the worst, only to hear Usami give a low, grim laugh.

"Not quite- it's more like a mental ward, actually." Oh, great... Misaki felt as though his greatest fear had come true. "Apparently, trying to kill you makes me clinically insane." Usami paused briefly, before continuing, "But maybe I am." It was the first time Misaki could remember Usami expressing any kind of self-doubt.

"N-no, you... you were drunk, and I don't blame you- I'll testify for you-"

"Oh, really? You would?" Usami sounded skeptical, as though he doubted Misaki really meant what he said. "You don't have to, you know- I am guilty, after all." And that might be true, but that doesn't mean they have to lock you up in prison.

"But... you're..."

"I'm guilty. Of attempted murder. I regret it- more than you can ever know, I wish I hadn't done it- but I did. And I wish we could just magically let it all blow over and we could both go home and I could make up for all the days of Misaki I've missed, but I can't." Misaki chose to ignore the last part and said,

"Stupid rabbit- I'm not mad at you, I'm fine. You just... get out of there, 'kay?" Usami's low laugh rumbled through the phone yet again.

"Aw, does my Misaki miss me? I can't wait to get home so I can-"

"Shut up!" Misaki frowned, not that Usami could see it, before saying, "But... seriously, try to come home."

"Of course." there was a short silence before Usami said, "I have to go- I love you." Misaki didn't even have a chance to protest before the line went dead. he snapped his phone shut, but didn't move beyond that.

On the surface, Misaki looked emotionless- maybe a bit vacant- but on the inside, he was a mess of confusing and turbulent feelings. It was obvious that through everything, Usami still held the same feelings he always had for Misaki- but, did Misaki still hold the same feelings for his older lover? (It still felt weird, even in his thoughts, to have 'Usami' and 'lover' in the same sentence)

He figured he could sort that out later, as he was feeling rather drowsy and the bed he was currently laying on top of was much more comfortable than the couch he had slept on the night before.

He allowed his eyes to close, willing himself to fall asleep and hoping that his physical exhaustion would be enough to push him over the edge into unconsciousness.\

Misaki spent over an hour tossing and turning after that, trying as hard as he could to go to sleep so that at least he would be able to think logically in the morning. He finally drifted off to sleep well past midnight, the last vague thought crossing his mind that he wondered what time Nowaki would be coming home.

When Nowaki finally stumbled into the apartment, it was nearly two in the morning. He thought back to what his supervisor had said as he was leaving, feeling again the wave of relief at hearing, "We have a new trainee coming in soon and they're taking your place, so your hours are going to be getting a lot better from here on out."

Barely remembering to take off his jacket and replace his work slacks with sweatpants, Nowaki collapsed into bed in a much better mood than that of the younger boy in the room next door.

Misaki awoke the next morning to the small of something cooking. Before he was fully awake or had even grasped his surroundings, he wondered, Why is Usagi-san making pancakes? However, he peeled his eyes open soon after that, and realized suddenly that he was not in Usami's penthouse but in Nowaki's apartment, and that unless there was someone else here he hadn't been told about, it was Nowaki in the kitchen making what smelled very close to the pancakes his brother used to make him on the weekends.

Misaki sat up too quickly, and felt a bit dizzy; by the time the blood flow got back to his brain, he fully remembered his conversation with Usami the night before.

Stumbling into the kitchen, Misaki noted that Nowaki's mood seemed way too pleasant for that time of morning, especially if he hadn't even gotten home until after Misaki fell asleep.

"Morning, Misaki!" Seriously, what has gotten into this guy?

"Good morning, Nowaki-san. You seem... happy this morning." Nowaki shrugged.

"I am- apparently a new trainee is coming in to work at the hospital, so I'm going to start getting much better hours, and probably a promotion as well."

"Oh! Well, that's great then. Congratulations." Although he did genuinely feel glad Nowaki would be getting a promotion, the emotion didn't quite reach his words since he was so preoccupied with his own dilemma with Usami.

"Hey, did you sleep alright, Misaki? You look..." Nowaki faltered, trying to find a word that could adequately describe Misaki's expression, "-lost-" Misaki chuckled, thinking that 'lost' just about summed it up.

"Ah... my brother's friend called me last night, right after you left." Misaki attempted to say it casually, but Nowaki clearly picked up on the slight bitterness in his tone.

"... Oh." Nowaki tried to think of a better reply, but came up with nothing better than, "He still has the nerve to talk to you?"

"Well, um..." between Misaki and Usami, it wasn't exactly Usami that was lacking nerve. "I needed-" Misaki cut himself off quickly, "-I wanted to talk to him anyway.

Nowaki didn't miss Misaki almost saying that he needed to talk to the man- and even though it wasn't exactly anything really noticeable, he still mentally added it to the list of evidence he had that Misaki and Usami were more than just landlord and tenant. Clearly, Misaki was torn between trying to let the man's violent acts blow over, and admitting that there was something wrong with the relationship between them.

"You okay?" Nowaki asked, since Misaki's expression had darkened considerably.

"I'm fine... I should probably go soon, I have a couple of classes this morning that I need to go to." Nowaki could tell that Misaki was, at least slightly, trying to make and excuse for leaving the rather uncomfortable conversation.

However, he had been skipping classes for nearly a week- and even though he had just gotten out of the hospital, Nowaki knew that Misaki wasn't the sort of person to skip for classes just because of that.

By the time Nowaki had finished washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen (despite Misaki's protests that he could do it himself) Misaki had gotten ready, and had re-entered the kitchen with his book bag slung over his shoulder.

"Um... I'll be back later, then?" Misaki said uncertainly. At that moment, Nowaki came up with a sudden, split-second idea- one that would possibly help him to determine once and for all whether or not the other boy was really in a romantic relationship with his brother's friend.

Misaki had one hand on the doorknob and was in the process of turning it when Nowaki, trying to get his attention said,

"Hey, Misaki-" Confused, the college student turned around to see Nowaki hurrying towards him. Misaki opened his mouth to ask what Nowaki needed, but didn't have a chance to say anything because the next thing he knew, Nowaki's hands were against the door on either side of his shoulders, their faces mere inches from each other.

And then... Misaki felt Nowaki's lips come into contact with his. He simply froze, unable to move as his mind was setting off fireworks and warning signals at the same time. Nowaki was being forceful, but somehow considerate at the came time. He didn't try to force Misaki's mouth open, or even seem to expect him to kiss back. When Nowaki finally pulled away, Misaki's cheeks were painted a brilliant shade of red.

"W-wha...?" he mumbled, before turning, opening the door with quivering fingers, and practically running in the direction of the bus route he had looked up the night before that would bring him to school.

Nowaki knew he had been stupid- it had been a spur of the moment decision, to kiss Misaki. Although in the few seconds of thought he had given it it had seemed like a good idea, he was a bit worried about how the younger man would react when he inevitably returned to the apartment later that evening.

Nowaki thankfully had the day off, so he decided to busy himself with some bills he had to pay, before calling back a friend whose call he had missed a few days before.

He spent most of the day busying himself with random tasks that didn't technically need to get done, but did anyway so he could keep his mind occupied. He knew he had been stupid to force himself on Misaki, and yet at the same time was glad he had done so because, at the very least, he had figured out what he had originally intended.

He was now more certain than before that Misaki had been in an abusive relationship- Even though he obviously hadn't wanted Nowaki's close-range contact, he hadn't fought back or pulled away. He knew from a class he had taken a while back in his second year of medical training that his hesitant but complete submission was an almost certain sign of past sexual abuse.

Nowaki realized he had no idea how many classes Misaki had, or what time he would be coming back. Deciding he had done as much as he could to get his ming off of his earlier... contact with Misaki, he flopped onto the couch, laying on his back. He stared up at the ceiling, trying to sort out his thoughts. Would Misaki be mad at him for what he had done?

It wouldn't surprise him, but at the same time he hoped Misaki would be at least a little bit understanding as to why he had done it. It had just been to verify something- it wasn't as though Nowaki really held any romantic feelings for him.

...Right?

There was no way he felt anything for Misaki. Nowaki had simply allowed him to stay because he didn't have anywhere else to go, and that was the end of it. Or so he had been telling himself. But if he pushed that notion aside, maybe there was something there. His initial fascination with Misaki the first time he had walked past the younger man's room in the hospital hadn't faded away, although it had changed slightly now that he knew Misaki better.

The best word he could think of for what he felt was infatuation, maybe- It seemed about accurate, at least.

Misaki had to use all of the self-control he possessed not to slam the door in Nowaki's face and run blindly away as fast as he could.

As it was, he was still blushing furiously when the bus pulled up about ten minutes later. What had Nowaki been thinking? The memory forced its way through his head on repeat the entire ride to M university. Nowaki was different from Usami- although both gave him affection when he didn't necessarily want it, Nowaki had done so in a way that was both demanding and gentle; where Usami would have roughly shoved his tongue into Misaki's mouth, Nowaki's kiss had been both more innocent and more lustful.

Misaki wasn't sure why he felt the need to analyze it so moch, but he couldn't get his subconscious to stop. If Nowaki had kissed him, wouldn't that simply imply that he he liked him? Misaki had known the older man for a week- had he really developed feelings for him in that short period of time?

Or maybe there were no real feelings there at all, and Nowaki was just more like Usami than he had originally thought? It seemed possible, but there was nothing in any of Nowaki's words or gestures to hint that that was the case.

The bus reached the university soon after, and Misaki hurried to reach his first class- Professor Kamijou's- on time. The second he took his seat, a piece of chalk whizzed through the air, hitting him straight in the forehead with deadly precision.

"Takahashi! You've missed class for five days straight- explain yourself." Misaki hadn't expected his literature teacher to actually notice his absence, let alone announce it to the whole class.

"I was in the hospital..." He didn't bother lying, knowing that the intimidating man would see right through it if he did, and given that Kamijou was Usami's friend, he probably knew at least a little bit of what had happened already.

"Well, as interesting as I'm sure that was," the professor didn't show even the slightest amount of emotion, "try not to be five and a half minutes late to my class in the future." Misaki nodded, pulling out a notebook as well as the book he had neglected to finish reading the night before.

The rest of the class passed fairly uneventfully, besides getting more chalk than usual (and a girl sitting at the front of the room's pencil case) thrown in his direction by the irritable professor.

Nowaki had actually worried for a while that Misaki might not come back- The younger had just gotten out of an abusive relationship, and not even a week later had a kiss forced upon him by someone he hardly knew. He wasn't sure why he cared so much about Misaki, but he knew deep down that if the younger man didn't return, he would care a lot more than he really should.

That was why, when a knock at the door proved Misaki had chosen to return, Nowaki felt a wave of relief wash over him. However, his spirits dampened when Misaki made his way to his room as quickly as possible, barely mumbling a quick "Hey" before closing the door behind him.

Nowaki sighed tempted to slump onto the couch and think about ways of mixing his mistake. However, he knew that wasn't exactly a practical solution and figured that actually talking to Misaki would be the best decision.

It felt a bit odd to Nowaki, having to knock on a door in his own house. He firmly hit his knuckles against the door's surface, and wasn't surprised when he didn't get a response. He tried the door, and was relieved that Misaki hadn't locked it.

"Misaki?" the college student was sitting on the floor, homework and books spread out around him.

"Oh... hey." Misaki mumbled. He tried to continue working, but it was clear he was distracted by the fact that he was trying to write a paper titled '18th century Japanese literature' while rifling through an upside-down English textbook.

"I'm sorry." Nowaki said, closing the door behind him and sliding down so that he was sitting with his back against it. "Earlier- I wasn't trying to scare you or anything."

Misaki considered saying something along the lines of how he was used to being randomly kissed (among other things) but decided to keep his mouth shut; it was clear Nowaki already suspected him and Usami were more than what Misaki had said, and didn't want to confirm those suspicions.

"... Yeah. I mean no, um..." Misaki reached over for a random stack of notes, and started flipping through them absently in an attempt to distract himself.

"He forced you into things, didn't he?" Misaki inhaled sharply, and the papers fell from his fingers, scattering over all of his other work. There was no need to ask who 'he' implied, as it was fairly obvious.

"N-no, I never said-"

"You didn't have to." Nowaki's blunt reply was a bit surprising, as well as reminding Misaki once again just how weak his poker face really was. "He did, right?"

Misaki had no idea why Nowaki cared about it so much, but also didn't see any reason to lie. He paused for a moment before nodding once, slowly, a glazed expression in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring back anything uncomfortable or-" Nowaki looked around the room, noticing vaguely how none of his own possessions had been touched, and Misaki's own had hardly been moved from where they had been the night before.

"Ah... no, it's not that..." Misaki ran a hand through his hair in agitation, and gave a shaky sigh.

"Do you want to talk to me about it?" It was a simple question, but hit Misaki sharply in the chest. Whenever something was bothering him, Usami tended to ask him about it quickly or disinterestedly- and when Misaki refused to offer up any information (because he always did) Usami tended to drop the subject. Although Misaki didn't always want to discuss his feelings like a pathetic teenage girl, there were times when he genuinely did want to talk about it and didn't know how.

"Well, I..." Misaki tried to figure out what he wanted to say. "He's in a mental ward now. For... for hurting me." the words started tumbling out of his mouth after that. "And I'm kind of worried because he... he was drunk when he did it, and I don't blame him at all, but he's being punished for it, and..." Misaki paused, took a deep breath, then continued, "And if it goes to court, I know he really is guilty, even though I don't want him to be, and I don't know what would happen if-"

As Misaki had been talking, Nowaki had gotten up from his spot by the door and walked over to join him so that he was sitting next to Misaki. He hadn't really thought anything of it, until Nowaki cut off what he was saying by pressing his lips firmly against Misaki's. His first instinct was to run away, to fight it after how long Usami had forced this kind of contact with him.

Although he didn't exactly kiss Nowaki back, he didn't pull away either, and in fact relaxed into the other man's embrace.

Nowaki pulled away after a few seconds and Misaki looked away from him, blushing. Nowaki didn't say anything, so Misaki broke the silence by mumbling,

"W-why?" He didn't seem mad at Nowaki, more like he was just genuinely confused.

Because you're cute when you blush like that." the words were out of his mouth before he could stop them- and although he probably could have phased the statement better, it was basically the truth.

" I'm not cute..." Nowaki, however, disagreed, and smiled as he reached over to rustle Misaki's hair in a gentle gesture of affection.

"I made dinner, if you're interested." Nowaki said, making Misaki feel as though he was doing a terrible job at what he was supposed to be there to do.

"I thought you said if I stayed with you I'd do the cooking..." Nowaki's brows drew together.

"Sure, I said you could help me out- you didn't expect me to have you make every single meal, right?" That had been Misaki's agreement with Usami, and he had simply expected it to carry over to living with Nowaki.

"... you really did?" Misaki tried to brush it off, but Nowaki wasn't abut to let him. "Listen, I'm glad to accept the favor of you helping me out, but I'm not going to treat you like a slave." Nowaki chose his next words carefully.

"From what you've said, this 'Usagi-san' you stayed with doesn't seem very nice at all, but... do you really like him, despite that?" At first, Nowaki thought he had gone too far and that Misaki wouldn't answer him, but then he said, softly,

"I don't know anymore..." the weak sun slanting through the bedroom window sent sharp shadows criss-crossing Misaki's features, as though they were chains, somehow binding him to Usami. Nowaki didn't like it.

Misaki pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, so hard that Nowaki thought he was going to hurt himself.

"Are you okay?" Nowaki knew the answer he was going to get before he even asked.

"Ye-"

"I mean it. Are you really, truly okay?"

"I... I guess not. But I will be."

A/N- So... it was kinda-sorta fluffy? I dunno, I thought it turned out kind of cute. But what did you guys think? Oh! And did you notice I changed the title? The title's got the pairing name I decided for them now :) (Thanks to Don't Preach for that!)

So... liked it? Hated it? Remember, reviews are author food, and I don't want to starve!