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With his hand firmly gripped in Ben's, Paneru found himself being led out of the locker room and down the hallway, his long blonde hair flowing behind him leisurely. He soon looked anxiously around the hall, as if he were looking for something specific. His eyes darted up and down and around, focusing on different sections of the walls, until finally he saw what he was looking for...a clock. He gasped softly under his breath and frowned. He pulled on Ben's hand to get his attention. Ben, to motivated to stop, kept walking, but looked back with a grin. [color=f7976a][b]"Huh? Wassup?"[/b][/color], he said to Paneru casually. Paneru smiled coyly and ran his free hand through his long hair, pushing it back out of his eyes and tucking it behind his ear. [b][color=fdc68a]"Well...I still don't know what your trying to do or where your trying to take me, but...I have a class coming up in 30 minutes."[/color][/b], he said in a dainty tone. Ben paused in his tracks and swiveled around to face him, his hand still gripped firmly around Parenu's delicately soft hand. Ben laughed out loud awkwardly, using his free hand to grip him stomach as he entered into a fit of abrupt glee. [b]

[color=f7976a]"Woah...I'm so sorry Pan. I just got so excited, I literally blanked out on everything else. You know how simple minded I can be"[/color][/b], he said teasingly. Paneru smiled brightly and chuckled. [b][color=fdc68a]"I know right? It's just a bunch of mush in there"[/color][/b], he cheekily quipped back at him. Giggling once more in the process. Ben laughed and scratched his noggin. [b][color=f7976a][b][color=f7976a]"Waaahhh!! Your so mean when your on dry land. Maybe you are a fish! Fish face!"[/color][/b][/color][/b], he said playfully back at him. [b][color=fdc68a]"Fish Face?"[/color][/b], Paneru retorted, teasingly furrowing his eyes and looking directly into Ben's face, staring at him intensely like a deer in headlights. Ben stared back, but only for a brief moment before his face turned red and he quickly looked away. He slowly let go of Paneru's hand and gripped his hands behind his head. He let out a deep and awkward sigh. [b][color=fdc68a]"I'm that ugly huh?"[/color][/b], Paneru asked him teasingly, followed by a quick giggle. Ben's usually pale face was now rosy, and he looked down at the floor beneath him, tucking his hands in his pockets as he did so. 

Paneru's face looked at Ben doe-eyed as he slightly cocked his head to the side as he watched the senior's behavior. [b][color=f7976a]"No...not at all.."[/color][/b], Ben began slowly, still keeping his head down as he spoke. [b][color=f7976a]"Honestly...your the most beautiful guy I've ever met"[/color][/b], he said in a very low and somewhat mumbled tone, almost as if he had to fight to get the words out. Paneru's face wen't blank as he looked at Ben, who had finally raised his head and looked at him directly, his countenance sincere and unusually bashful. Paneru let out a complex rhythm of awkward breaths before daintily gliding his hair behind his ears. There was an awkward pause as they just looked at eachother, unsure of what else to say. Paneru was flattered, in a strange kind of way. He was well aware that he looked so much more feminine than most other guys. His delicate facial features, long blonde hair, his lithe body, it all played into his unnaturally beautiful exterior for a young boy. In some ways, he resented his appearance with the belief that it may have been one of the reasons his father abused him like he did. Anyways...digress. He had heard all his life that he looked like a younger version of his mother, of course, before she let herself go. 

[b][color=fdc68a]"Oh...hah...well ummm...thanks Ben..."[/color][/b], Paneru awkwardly and hastily chimed to break the silence. Ben nodded his head slightly to him and smiled coyly, [b][color=f7976a]"Your welcome"[/color][/b], he said boldly, seemingly gathering back his normal aura of confidence. He continued, further looking into Paneru's face as if entranced. [b][color=f7976a]"Paneru...It's just that I hate seeing you upset. I figured... why not cheer you up? Sometimes when I see you by yourself...reading a book or something...your crying...or just...downright looking defeated"[/color][/b], he said in a concered and reassuring tone. Paneru looked at the floor briefly, running his dainty fingers through his hair before looking back up again at Ben's face, smiling ever so lightly. From across the hall, one of Ben's friends, a fellow expat from London, shouted over to him, though...the boy spoke in English, so Paneru understood little to none of it. [b]"Geez dude, you talk like your in love or something", his friend shouted to Ben in a banterly fashion. [/b]

Ben held up his fist playfully and shook it in the direction of his London friend. [b][color=f7976a]"Shut the hell up before I beat your lights out. He's a guy dipshit!"[/color][/b], Ben retorted with a grin. His friend laughed out loud and pointed to Paneru briefly, getting his attention long enough to wink at him. Ben's eyes furrowed as he slightly stepped in front of Ben and looked at his friend coldly. They continued to speak in English though, much to Paneru's dismay. [b][color=f7976a]"Cut it out you ass! He doesn't know what your doing"[/color][/b], Ben yelled at him brashly. It was true though. Paneru's face was glazed when the British expat winked at him. He didn't know why he did it, but it made him feel somewhat awkward. [b]"You jealous?"[/b], the Londoner responded back as his quick repartee. Ben frowned briefly, but couldn't help but chuckle. [b][color=f7976a]"No way! Just don't do it alright?"[/color][/b], Ben responded firmly. The Londoner held his hands up as if he surrended, throwing up a quick peace sign before walking, but not before he could shout out...[b]"I don't care if he's a guy or a girl. If you don't snag that pretty guy standing beside you...I will"[/b]. Clearly his tone of voice indicated that he was only kidding, but Ben couldn't help but feel a bit...[color=f7976a][i]jealous?[/i][/color] It was weird, but he was genuinely feeling jealous and didn't quite know why. His cold eyes returned back to Paneru's doe-eyed and confused face, and completely softened. 

He returned to speaking in Japanese. [b][color=f7976a]"Sorry about that...my friend was just being an ass"[/color][/b], he exclaimed. Paneru chuckled softly, gripping his hands together in front himself. [b][color=fdc68a]"It's okay. Besides, I didn't understand a lick of what he was saying anyways. Or what you were saying for that matter"[/color][/b], Paneru playfully said, followed by a quick burst of laughter. Ben chuckled as well and wiped off a trickle of sweat that had form on his forehead. Paneru continued. [b][color=fdc68a]"I think I'm gonna get a head start in my class...get my mind right before the dread begins. You can always show me this "secret hideout" after school right?"[/color][/b], he asked in a curious, but teasing manner. Ben rolled his eyes, and smiled affectionately, allowing his hands to sink back into his pockets. [b][color=f7976a]"Yeah...that's cool with me"[/color][/b], he said contentedly. Paneru returned the same warm and affectionate smile and began to slowly walk away from Ben backwards towards the direction of his classroom. [b][color=fdc68a]"Cool"[/color][/b], he said cheerfully, finally swiveling his body around completely and walking off towards his classroom, briefly looking behind his shoulder to see if Ben was watching him walk off. Paneru smiled slightly and snickered to himself. Ben was.