Gokudera almost turned back when he saw how many students there already were in the cafeteria. Almost. Someone who apparently could not lift his eyes from his phone while walking through doors bumped into his back, efficiently making the decision for him as he was pushed into the building. He bit back some very eloquent profanities as the other simply continued walking, nose still inches from his screen, and stomped over to one of the vacant tables. Gokudera fumbled with his wallet and practically tore out his student id, slamming it onto the table. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. He did not need to start snapping at Yamamoto as soon as he arrived. And it was not like he needed any more attention with the curious glances that were already being thrown his way.

Since he was eating with Yamamoto, choosing food was a lot harder than it usually was. He ended up picking the balanced set of the day, grimacing slightly as he paid for it. It was not like Yamamoto was that picky, but he would always cast worried glances at Gokudera's meal when he opted for a cheaper and less nutritious alternative. That often ended up with him coming over and stocking up Gokudera's fridge, which in itself was not that bad of a thing since it usually involved Yamamoto staying over and cooking for him as well. It was just…

Sighing, he sat down by the table and waited for the other male while picking at his food. It was not Yamamoto's fault, Gokudera knew that he was just being caring and all that shit. Even though Yamamoto would never see it that way, part of it made Gokudera feel even more useless, having to be taken care of like that.

He did not have to wait long before Yamamoto skidded in through the door, eyes shining with mirth as he spotted the Italian. Gokudera snorted at him and checked his phone. Second period had barely ended. Only Yamamoto would be so excited to have lunch that he ran all the way from class.

"Hey Dera." Yamamoto's features softened as he pulled out the chair next to Gokudera, dragging it closer before sitting down. Their knees touched under the table. Gokudera felt a smile tugging at his lips and leaned closer, jabbing the other male with his chopsticks.
"There's no need to rush here, idiot. I told you I'd be here." He pointed out and turned to his food. His next words were added as more of an afterthought. "You look ridiculous like that."
"Yeah?" Yamamoto breathed out and the tone of his voice had Gokudera lifting his gaze again. He was met with half lidded eyes that slowly moved across his features. Before he could help himself, he leaned closer again, smirking at the wistful expression Yamamoto was sporting.
"I said," he began, voice lowering in a teasing manner. "That you-"

A startled gasp behind them brought him back to the cafeteria. This is dangerous, he realized and jerked back in his seat. Yamamoto let out a nervous chuckle and reached for his lunchbox as Gokudera swirled around to look behind him. Two girls peered back at him, flushing deeply as they noticed that his attention on them. They immediately looked away, embarrassed giggles erupting at their table. Scoffing, Gokudera turned back to find a stack of extra food on his plate and Yamamoto smiling innocently at him. He just rolled his eyes and grabbed a piece of the offered tempura.

Contrary to himself, Yamamoto did not seem to mind the curios glances they were receiving. Instead, he filled the air with joyous banter as they ate. Gokudera would cut him off every now and then, but mostly remained silent.
"You okay?" Yamamoto nudged his arm in the middle of retelling part of his baseball practice the other day. His body shifted ever so slightly and Gokudera could tell that his entire focus was aimed at him. Yamamoto had a way of doing that, acting as if the rest of the world had just faded away.
"I'm fine." Gokudera grumbled, shoving rice into his mouth. Chewing slowly he tried to remember what Yamamoto had been telling him. "Did you make one of those freakish home-runs again..?" he tried, upon which he received that look, meaning that Yamamoto just as impressed as he was by his listless attempt at diverting the attention. "Okay, fine." He bit out. Placing his elbow on the table, Gokudera rested his chin in his palm and nodded towards the other students in the cafeteria. "All this staring is pissing me off."
"We could leave if you like." Yamamoto suggested, but Gokudera frowned and shook his head.

Admittedly, he told himself, the staring was not that bad, just a few glances being thrown in their direction every now and then. He had been prepared for this when he sent that message and even though Yamamoto would politely refrain from saying anything, Gokudera could tell that this was really important to him.
"Idiot." Gokudera almost grimaced at the fondness that rang from that word alone. He might as well stand up on the table and wave his hand in everyone's faces with the way he acted right now. "It's not their fucking business anyw-" The surrounding tables suddenly grew silent and Gokudera trailed off as he noticed a girl approaching them. Or more like strutted.

As she arrived at their table, her eyes skimmed over Gokudera and she scoffed before leaning towards Yamamoto.
"Why don't you come over and sit with us instead? I'm sure we could offer you some more enjoyable company." She said in an overly sweet tone and Gokudera shuddered in disgust. Did she think she was being cute? Could she not hear herself? She leaned even closer and lowered her voice to what she probably assumed to be a whisper. "I don't know what that foreigner has done to you, but you're more than welcome to our table instead." Gokudera's fingers clenched around his chopsticks in anger and he was about to stand up at yell at her when one of Yamamoto's hands found his knee under the table, squeezing it gently before pulling back.
"I'm enjoying my current company very much." There was a chill to Yamamoto's voice that was usually reserved for less fortunate people in their other life. Gokudera eyed him in surprise, not having expected to hear it now. There was a slight crease to Yamamoto's brow and the previously genuine smile had morphed into one that usually turned his blood cold. "Would you excuse us?" The girl visibly stiffened in unease and Gokudera could not help the smirk that touched his lips. An indignant squeak left the girls mouth and it took a moment for her to regain her composure.
"Well, I think you owe Ari-chan a proper apology for embarrassing her the other day." She said to him, voice rising with irritation, and gestured to a table further away.
"I apologized to Tanaka after you left, which I'm sure she has told you." Yamamoto replied in a tone bordering on hostile. Gokudera felt the confusion written on his face as he stared at the Japanese male.

Sure, Yamamoto's serious side would always surface if anyone spoke of Gokudera in such a manner, but why was he..? In a sudden moment of clarity, Gokudera realized that he recognized that name. He had been hearing it in the whispers of his course mates just the other day. Her.

A sudden flash of anger had him grinding his teeth together and Gokudera turned his gaze to the indicated table. In the small crowd he zoomed in on rosy cheeks and big doe eyes directed towards Yamamoto. He had to admit that she was what others would refer to as cute, pretty even, with her petite frame and long shiny hair. She gave Yamamoto a shy smile accompanied with a tiny wave of her fingers. Somehow Gokudera doubted that this frail creature had any hand in the rumors the other day. Anger subsiding somewhat, he shifted his gaze to Yamamoto, who only greeted her with a short nod.
"We'd like to continue our lunch, so could you please leave us?" the fake smile still lingered on Yamamoto's lips as he spoke. The girl seemed at a loss of words at this and instead gave Gokudera another once-over. He was acutely aware of how close they were sitting, the way their legs were touching and how Yamamoto was leaning towards him even now. Based on the way her nose wrinkled, the girl had noticed the same.
"Fine, since he's so important to you." She gave them a last look, unmistakably filled with disgust, and pranced away.

As soon as she had left Yamamoto turned to him with a apologetic expression.
"I didn't know they'd be here. Do you want to go?" Yes, he wanted to leave and pretend this never happened. Even more so he wanted to kiss Yamamoto right then and there, right in the face of that bitch. The obvious display of distaste had his blood boiling and there was way that he would give her the pleasure of running away.
"No." he gritted out. "I'm going to fucking shove this in her face." This earned him a fond chuckle from Yamamoto, who then returned to his food, one foot brushing against the side of Gokudera's leg. Huffing, Gokudera gave him a glare, but did not kick the foot away.

They parted ways outside of Gokudera's department building. Surprisingly, Yamamoto said nothing about meeting up after class. Instead he offered a small smile and started to head back towards his part of the campus.
"Oi, idiot!" Gokudera called to him. "My bike is parked behind the library. I'll meet you there." He stated in an offhand manner and pulled open the door. In response there was a peal of laugher in the air, loud and lively.

Gokudera did not miss the glances that were thrown his way as he entered the classroom. Not so unexpected, since he figured that quite a few of the other students had probably been present to witness the spectacle during lunch. He pretended not to notice, sitting down in the back of the room as usual. Whatever they had heard or seen, there was not much gossiping. Despite this Gokudera remained on edge throughout the lecture, subconsciously raising his shoulders and throwing suspicious glances around the room.

To his surprise lecture passed on uneventfully and so did the next one. He had lingered outside in the heat as long as he could before the fourth period started and the moment the bell signaled its end he grabbed his bag and hurried for the door. In the process of leaving the room Gokudera felt the impact of a palm on his shoulder, fingers squeezing ever so slightly before withdrawing. Cold panic coursed through his body and he felt his heartbeat dance erratically. He spun around, ready to curse of brawl or whatever the intruder of his personal space sought, but was only met with the retreating backs of his course mates.

In stunned silence he headed towards the library, unsuccessfully trying to determine the intention behind the gesture. Any thoughts of it, however, disappeared once he spotted Yamamoto. The baseball player had already unlocked his poor excuse of a bike and had his face turned towards the sky, basking in the sunlight that flitted through the foliage of the surrounding trees.
"Hey." Gokudera called, eyes trailing the upturned features as the shadows from the leafage danced across them. Yamamoto's eyes slowly opened, facing the sky for a moment before turning to him. The smile stretched wider and his voice was soft with fondness as he spoke.
"Hey."

Heading home together after school had never felt so thrilling before, nor had it ever been so nerve-racking. For the first time Yamamoto had slung his arm around Gokudera's shoulder away from the back alleys or the cover of darkness at night. He had done it casually, despite the odd glances, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. In a sense it was, Gokudera figured. They had been doing this for years after all.

Except for a few odd looks around the campus area they did not receive that much of a reaction as they headed for Gokudera's apartment. Still, his posture remained tense, hands tightly clenched in his pockets, until they passed their usual meeting point. Once it was behind them, Gokudera found himself gradually relaxing, his previously stiff shoulders easing under Yamamoto's touch.

Yamamoto was seemingly elated, laughter pouring from his lips as they walked. Not that it was especially different from his usual mood, but there was a slight bounce to his steps. As they neared the apartment complex, his grip on Gokudera grew more intimate and his nose brushed against the silver strands just behind his ear. This had them almost toppling over the bike and Gokudera cursed Yamamoto's stupid, overeager hands. However, he could not help the chuckle that escaped his lips.

They barely made it through the apartment door before Gokudera grabbed Yamamoto's shirt and pulled him down into a kiss. The response was immediate. Yamamoto's free arm curled around his body, pulling him flush against him. Together they stumbled over the shoes littered inside and Gokudera found himself being pressed up against the door as it clicked shut. Yamamoto's body moved against his, hands sliding up underneath his shirt with delightful heat and friction, lips trailing down the curve of his throat and teeth scraping against the delicate skin there. Gokudera's hands found their way to Yamamoto's hair, tangling deep in the dark locks. He gasped for air, heart stuttering in his chest as Yamamoto lavished his neck with kisses.

With a throaty sound of pleasure, Gokudera's grip tightened and he pulled Yamamoto's head up, bringing their lips together once more. He felt Yamamoto tremble against him, tasted his name on his lips and tongue as they brushed together. They parted momentarily and Yamamoto looked at him, gaze heavy with desire. One hand rose to caress Gokudera's cheek, skimming over his lips, before he leaned forward to kiss him again. In silent agreement his hands found their way to the back of Gokudera's thighs as he wrapped his legs around Yamamoto's waist for support. He was pulled close, hands wrapping securely around his body and hurried footsteps echoed through the apartment. A breathy laugh escaped his lips as he tumbled backwards on the bed, pulling Yamamoto down with him.

For some reason I had trobles writing this chapter, which is why it took so long. I hope you enjoy it =)

Now there's just one chapter left~