AN:/ Not that I'd actually expect anyone to think so, but I don't own the game Uno....But I've played it enough times that I think everyone should play it too...Even fanfiction characters...

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“Don't you think it seems strange?” Chunji demanded, staring up at Niel through his fringe as he glanced back down at his hand. The two of them were sitting alone for a change at lunchtime, L. Joe having gone with Ricky to the library to help him with his library research. So, the two of them decided to play a game of Uno to pass the time.

“What seems strange?” Niel questioned, his tongue poking out cheekily from the corner of his mouth, as he tried to decide which card to put down. His lack of attention only served as further irritation to Chunji, since the green 8 only left Niel with 3 possible modes of play. He wanted to yell at him to hurry up, that the decision shouldn't be that hard, but he restrained himself.

“L. Joe.” he reiterated. “What about him?” Niel blinked, looking up at Chunji curious, after dropping a blue 8 onto the deck. “Everything about him. He's been acting weird, I already told you all about what happened the other week. It's weird, don't you think?” Chunji persisted eagerly, while distractedly dumping a blue 3 on the pile.

“Maybe.” Niel agreed, non-committally. “What do you mean maybe?” Chunji demanded, angrily. “First he starts yelling at me after having a conversation with CAP, after which he then asks me out.” Chunji begins, rambling. “Who? L. Joe?” Niel questioned, confused. “No, CAP. CAP asked me out.” Chunji explained with a sigh. “You have a boyfriend now?” Niel asked, sounding amazed.

“Hey!” Chunji yelped offended. “You make it sound like it's a surprise that someone would want to go out with me.” he stated, grumpily. “Well, you've got to admit, there hasn't exactly been a string of suitors lining up to ask you out for the last year now have there? And then the one that does it in the end is CAP. Isn't that amazing?” Niel commented with grin. “So what you're saying is that it's inconceivable that CAP would want to go out with me. That was what I was working towards all year, it was only natural that it'd happen eventually.” Chunji commented, proudly.

“So my best friend is going out with CAP.” Niel commented bemused. “What? No, of course not.” Chunji stated, wrinkling his nose at Niel's odd comment. “Why not? I thought he asked you out.” Niel demanded, loudly. “He did, but I turned him down." “What? Why?” Niel asked, clearly unable to believe what Chunji had just said. Chunji rolled his eyes at Niel's persistence, waving his hand distractedly, “It seemed like L. Joe was against it, anyway that's not the point.”

“Not the point?” Niel stated, clear disbelief written across his face. “No it's not.” Chunji reiterated. “The what is?” Niel demanded. “L. Joe. See after that when I went to find him he's talking to some old guy. Except he's practically radiating fear, trying to figure out a way to scramble away from him, while the older guy has him almost pinned against a picnic table over by the English block.” Chunji explained.

“Could he have been a creepy old ert that snuck onto the campus during class?” Niel questioned. “According to L. Joe, the guy is an old teacher of his who has come from the States to teach at our school. Don't you think that's weird?” Chunji demanded. “I dunno.” Niel commented with an uncaring shrug.

“What do you mean you don't know? There's clearly something suss about the whole thing.” Chunji bellowed. “I think the only way you're going to know for sure is if you ask him.” Niel commented evenly. “He's never going to answer me about it. I know what I saw Niel, and there's something weird about everything that went on last week, and now he's acting as though we're friends again and nothing happened.” Chunji sighed.

“Well you know what I see?” Niel pressed, observing his friend plainly, looking him up and down. “What?” Chunji asked, not really sure what Niel was going to say, but feeling a little concerned by his tone all the same. “I see you acting like a jealous boyfriend.” Niel stated simply.

“What?” Chunji demanded, incredulous. “You've got to be kidding me.” “No, I'm completely serious. You're acting like a jealous boyfriend. You're nosy, and possessive now that there's a possibility of someone else that knows L. Joe, that's important to L. Joe, hanging around him. That's what I think.” Niel stated, crossing his arms finitely.

“You've got it all wrong.” Chunji denied. “And here I thought you'd finally started realising your true feelings towards L. Joe.” Niel commented clucking his tongue with disappointment as he shook his head at the other boy's blindness. “Oh you're not going on about that again.” Chunji complained.

“Yes I am, because it's true.” Niel said. “I mean think about it, your dream guy who you've been pining after for years, asked you out. He wanted to go out with you. You've spent the entire year training to make him realise that he wanted to go out with you, after seeing your intellectual talents. He finally does so, earlier than you were expecting, mind you, and you turned him down. And why did you turn him down? Because you didn't think L. Joe would approve. Since when do you care so much about L. Joe's feelings? Since when does someone supposedly in love with someone care about what other people say about them?” Niel demanded.

“You're wrong.” Chunji stated, but Niel could hear the way Chunji's voice quivered as he answered. The knowledge that he was convincing Chunji of the truth made him only that much more eager to press on with his argument. “You're going to have to face it. You and L. Joe, the way you act around one another, you're basically a couple. I mean the joy you get from one another's company; don't think I haven't seen the way you keep looking over at the library, hoping you're going to see L. Joe come out early, because clearly I have. The way you tease one another, and pay attention to the tiniest details about one another. The jealousy; first you were jealous of Ricky now of this old teacher, and as if all that weren't enough, you give up on CAP, the guy you supposedly love, the moment you've got him interested in you. I don't see what other proof you could possibly need.” Niel ranted.

Chunji's eyes widened as he considered the facts Niel was listing off on his fingers. “I.... All that's true but.... I mean we don't....we aren't....” he stumbled over his words, feeling a lingering need to deny Niel's accusation even as his mind seemed to bond with what he was saying. It all just seemed to make so much sense to him.

“Trust me, all the right feelings are there; you're a couple in everything but name. The moment you guys start being physically intimate, there really won't be any distinction between you guys and a couple at all. Intimacy, which I'm certain will come in a matter of time. You'll be a couple by the end of the year, I reckon.” Niel stated, knowingly. “Really?” Chunji asked, voice small, concerned. “Yeah. You love him too much not to go out with him.” Niel assured.

“Don't be silly, it takes more than one person to make a relationship.” Chunji chided, tone breathy, and disbelieving even as he chastised his friend. “He'll agree too.” Niel commented with a shrug.

Chunji groaned lightly. “What? Going out with L. Joe can't be that painful to you, you are in love with him and all.” Niel complained. “Not that.” Chunji muttered, shaking his head distractedly.

“Then what is it now?” Niel demanded, with an irritated sigh. “I think you might be right.” Chunji commented with a slight laugh. “Of course, I always am.” Niel stated, knowingly before he realised what Chunji had said and sent the other boy a confused look. “Wait, I am?”

“It happened so gradually I didn't even notice it.” Chunji mumbled in disbelief. “I wanted to disagree with you, but when I thought about what you said I realised it was all true. Then with what you were saying about the physical contact it made me think back to the times he's hugged me, the way it felt to call L. Joe my boyfriend last week. I hadn't even noticed it at the time, but it felt nice.”

“You said you were L. Joe's boyfriend?” Niel exclaimed, sending his friend an incredulous look. “Well, he looked uncomfortable with that teacher of his pressing in all close, I thought he needed my help. When I said that I was his boyfriend, and had my arms wrapped around him, the teacher sent me the darkest look, and tried to make me leave them in private. He seemed pretty angry at the thought that L. Joe was seeing someone.” Chunji murmured thoughtfully.

“You know you've been grinning like an idiot ever since you started calling L. Joe your boyfriend.” Niel pointed out, distractedly, cackling when he saw the way his friend's hands immediately rushed to his rapidly darkening cheeks. A thoughtful look passed over his face as he considered what Chunji had said. “But I do agree that the whole thing sounds more than a little bit suss. If I were you I would make sure that they don't see each other alone anymore. Be as nosy and intrusive as you possibly can. Make a complete nuisance out of yourself. Shouldn't be too hard for you.” Niel stated sagely, before sending Chunji a mischievous look, “After all, you're good at that.”

“Hey! Stop being so mean to me!” Chunji demanded angrily, only getting more frustrated as Niel's cackle resounded in his ears. One look at the murderous glare Chunji was sending him, had Niel waving his hands in front of his face hurriedly, trying to placate the other boy. “Okay, okay I'll stop. I'll even go you one better and I won't bring the matter up with L. Joe, alright? Please don't hurt me!” he wailed.

“Fine.” Chunji sulked, gaze dropping down to the discard pile between them. “Forget about it. whose go is it?” he questioned, barely catching the confused stare of Niel down at the pile. “Umm....”