krystalkatzficz | Keep the Faith part 13

The door to the archelogy swung open with a loud bang and Nino swept inside feeling as though the devil himself was chasing after him and he flushed just a little when he saw the three professors sitting around Takenaka’s table eating their lunches and looking a little confused.
“Nino-chan? I thought you’d still be at lunch…?” Yamaguchi said, recovering first as a smile lit up her wrinkled face a handkerchief wiping at her mouth a little and Nino swallowed hard surprised to find himself shaking near violently as he desperately tried to think of anything and everything that didn’t have to do with Jun and the confession of his feelings. It was so stupid, everything that he could have ever wanted in his life but there would never be a chance that he would be able to reach out and take it. “Nino-chan…Are you feeling…”

“Where’s that book I asked you to pick up?” Takenaka growled his voice completely normal and unsympathetic and Nino latched onto it smiling near gratefully at the older man as he let out a shuddering breath that caused his shoulders to roll and his back to click almost painfully as he straightened against the door reaching into his bag and pulling out the book from the depths. It was a simple text really, more a book that any of the members of staff could have written about the gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. But it was something that Nino was passionate about so he hoped that Takenaka would give him permission to read it when he wasn’t busy.

“Here…Your book, boss man, as for lunch…I got bored…Anything that you need me to do?”

“Yeah this afternoon you need to replace the sticky labels on the drawers in the store cupboard but first make me a coffee…” Takenaka muttered and Nino nodded heading over to the coffee pot as the door opened and Jun came in looking sweaty and breathless. His glasses were dislodged down his nose while his hair was sticking up in weird angles and his mouth was open in a long steady pant which rocked his body. “Matsumoto-kun, this is a surprise but unfortunately Nino is busy right now…So you might want to return later…”

“Um…I…I just wanted…Um…” Jun stammered looking completely out of place and nervous in front of the professor. Jun had admitted on no less than 19 separate occasions that Takenaka scared him more than a little and that was evidenced now by the way his skin paled completely giving him a near Vampiric look when it was set against his dark hair. “I…Nino…”

“Sorry…Jun…Um…I’m working…” Nino muttered turning his attention to the coffee pot knowing that if he looked at him any longer he wouldn’t be able to resist giving in and talking to him but he was nowhere near ready for that conversation yet. He wanted time to be able to find the words that would make it all go back to normal between them but he knew that that would be unlikely. It would have taken Jun a huge amount of courage to confess his feelings like that and no matter what he wanted there was a very real chance that he wouldn’t be able to smooth things over. Even now he knew that he had hurt his friend but he didn’t look up from the coffee until he heard the door closing behind Jun.

“Well that was awkward…” Takenaka said when the strangled silence had stretched out for a few uncomfortable minutes and Nino’s shoulders sagged and to his annoyance tears formed in his eyes. “I think that we should go take a walk?”

“…The store room…” Nino whispered helplessly wanting to escape but knowing that he wouldn’t be able to. The professors all knew about his past and they had taken it on themselves to make sure that nothing affected him, though Takenaka was the most tenacious at it.

“Can wait until Monday…Come on…”

TBC
A/N: I hope that this is okay ^_^