Burnt Hands. Warm Hearts.

Chapter Three: Unexpected Offer

Enji hadn't been intending to eavesdrop. He had barely even been paying attention at all.

The locker rooms were always full of frivolous chatter as students talked to each other while getting changed.

Enji was trying to ignore the sound of chatter when for some reason he caught a conversation between Thirteen and Toshinori.

"You're kidding me right?! You're the fifth person to say that...!" Toshinori was groaning, Enji took note of how strangely enough Toshinori didn't have that silly smile of his plastered on.

"I'm sorry Yagi. But I cannot help you with this." Thirteens voice echoed hollowly. "I wish you luck in finding a tutor..."

"You need a tutor?" Enji spoke without thinking and instantly regretted it when Toshinori and Thirteen turned to look at him.

Toshinori fixed that stupid and clearly fake smile back to his face. "Ah well-yes. I do need a little help with the current math class, it's nothing serious but I figured why wait for it to be a crisis-"

"I'll do it." What the hell was wrong with Enji's mouth today?! He normally didn't have this much of a problem holding his words back.

Toshinori blinked at him, his smile frozen. "You'll...What? Exactly?"

Well shit. Enji realized there was no backing out now, not with how Toshinori was staring at him. "You say you need a tutor for math? Fine. I'll do it. Might as well, I don't have anything better to do."

Toshinori's eyes widened and he started scrambling as he simultaneously tried to thank Enji and seemingly tell him he didn't have to.

Honestly the fumbling words gave Enji a headache, he gave Toshinori a few minutes to make sense but when he was still babbling he simply stood up and cut his fellow teen off. "Stop. It's just cause I have nothing better to do alright? Tomorrow at five meet me at the coffee shop on ninth, the one near the school. Don't be late."

"I-I won't!" Toshinori was still gaping at Enji.

As Enji started to walk out of the locker rooms he glanced over his shoulder at Toshinori. "I'd close that mouth if I was you...someone might trip over it."

There was something strangely satisfying about watching Toshinori turn bright red in embarrassment as his mouth snapped shut.

Enji's smirk of triumph soon melted into a scowl though as a strange thought suddenly popped up.

The thought of Toshinori's stupid ass grin, the thought of how no matter how satisfying to get Toshinori scrambling, that it was a hell of a lot more satisfying to see a genuine smile on that dorks face.

What the hell is this? Enji felt his temperature rising as he forced the thought away. Something's definitely wrong, none of this is normal...letting Toshinori lean on me on the bus? Wanting a new relationship? Volunteering to tutor Toshinori...? Enji shook his head, trying to convince himself it was just trying to make sure Toshinori didn't lose traction as a fighter.

"Woah Enji, you okay?"

Enji turned to scowl at Hawks, who actually looked concerned. "What makes you think anything's wrong?"

"I'm just working with what I see and...well...normally you don't start smoking unless somethings wrong."

Enji let out a curse before quickly patting his arm which did indeed have smoke drifting off of it. He hadn't had this happen to him in weeks...

"So you gonna tell me what's bothering you or am I going to have to be sneaky?" Hawks walked closer once the smoke was gone and the air around Enji once again safe to breath.