Chapter Text
I groaned as I was forcefully taken out from my sleep by my mom knocking on my door and calling my name. I stayed up late last night playing video games and “thinking” of that strange boy from my new school.
”Yeah, yeah! I’m awake!” I yelled into my pillow, my voice still raspy from sleeping. I groaned once more when I forced my legs to carry me to my wardrobe. I decided on wearing the same pants and boxers as yesterday along with a t-shirt with a goldfish print on the front that I found in the back of my wardrobe. It’s not like anyone would notice that I was wearing dirty clothes.
Family photos littered the wall of the staircase. My moms had never really hid the fact that I was adopted, not that they could hide it considering they’re…well white. It was the same for my sister. Mama had always insisted that Daiyu’s Thai ancestry was something beautiful to be proud of, and I knew she agreed.
”Your lunch box is in the fridge!” My mom yelled from the doorway before I heard the front door shut.
Considering the kitchen was empty: mama was presumably at the gym and Daiyu was still asleep. I toasted a piece of bread and ate it along with a glass of apple juice on the side.
My morning was pretty mundane and repetitive, always the same breakfast, same routine, same everything.
I brushed my teeth and unwrapped my durag after I ate, then carelessly tossed the silky piece of fabric to the side. I spent the rest of the morning touching up my hair, adding tiny accessories, bracelets, rings and hair clips that’d match my shirt.
I was halfway out the door when mama came home. My shoes were on, I had one arm through my jacket’s sleeve and my arm was tangled in my book bag’s strap so it was impossible to escape her sweaty and uncomfortably warm embrace.
“Ma! You’re messin’ up my hair!” I complained whilst she ruffled the top of my head. “N’ I’m in a hurry!”
”You’ll survive, love,” she chuckled at my misery. “Did you remember to pack your lunch?”
I had, in fact, not remember. From mama’s point of view I must’ve looked crazy when I ran to the kitchen, stuffed my lunch box into my bag and rushed back to the door.
”’Kay, ma’! See ya after school!” I didn’t have time to hear her response before I sprinted out the door and across the yard. I ran for most of the way to school, taking brief pauses to breath before going back to my mad dash.
The school hallway was still pretty busy by the time I arrived. My eyes darted around, seeking the friends I made the day before, but it seemed they found me before I found them. An arm wrapped itself around my shoulders, followed by a loud and cheerful voice.
”Hey, dude! I was almost worried you weren’t commin’!” I became friends with Hinata Tamure, a tall and likeable guy with short black hair and constantly changing highlights, at my first lesson yesterday and we bonded over the game Angel May Not Laugh. Both of us were avid fans of the game, I had to beg mom for a copy of the game when the second one came out.
”I spent too long on my hair and lost track a’ time!” I let out a mix between a sigh and a groan. Hinata chuckled and gave me a pitiful pat on the back. I heard a loud smack from behind and saw Hinata’s face contorted in pain.
There was a loud snicker and the other friend I also met the day before appeared next to Hinata. I hadn’t quite caught their name yesterday but I did know they were non binary.
”Watcha guys talkin’ about?” they wondered while Hinata was still nursing his rear after the smack.
”Just a game,” I said in between laughs.
The friend stopped for a second, I stopped too, thinking I had said something wrong or done something. But instead they started inspecting me, cartoonishly scratching their chin and looking me up and down while humming.
”I wanna say….Yoshi?” They leaned over, continuing their humming.
”Yoshihiro. Uhm…and what about you?” I chuckled nervously and scratched the back of my neck.
”My friends call me Mochi,” they patted me on the back and smiled at the finally recovered Hinata.
“After your hair?” I vaguely gestured to their buzzed, muted pink hair, which they nodded at.
“Great that you two are getting along but we should head to class.” Hinata gave us both a playful shove in the direction of the classroom and we shortly followed his order.
The lesson passed quickly, mostly because Nakagawa was also in this class so I could just stare at him through the whole thing.
In my staring trance, I felt Mochi nudging me with their elbow and wiggling their eyebrows at my flustered face. After teasing me, they turned to Hinata and snickered about something he said.
My friends’ commotion made Shirou throw an annoyed glance at the trio and made me feel like a sad dog that upset their owner.
The rest of the lesson went just as quick and I was able to admire the other boy without interruption.
We had a twenty minute break after the first lesson of the day, which my friends spent teasing me relentlessly.
”You got a crush on Shirou?” Hinata snorted, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Mentally, I noted his name.
”He’s, like, a total stuck up, man!” Mochi butted in from my left.
”I know! But ‘e’s adorable!” I groaned and threw my head back in annoyance. “How the hell do I make him come to the party!?”
“Why do you want that absolute BORE at the party!? He’ll just ruin the whole mood!” They copied my groan.
”I want an excuse to spend more time with him! The party is a great opportunity for that!” I tugged excitedly at my book bag’s strap.
“Just tell him it’s a study sesh or something,” Hinata yawned, leaning more of his body weight on me and made me struggle to keep my balance.
”He’ll totally fall for that! That nerd would take any opportunity to study,” Mochi snickered and patted my shoulder.
I pondered on what my friends said till it was finally time for lunch and I could scope out where Shirou could be eating lunch, finally finding him in the courtyard, sitting on the edge of the white stone fountain, its pristiness trivial compared to the literal angel of a man sitting on it.
He had his head buried in a book, seeming to have forgotten the untouched lunchbox that was slowly, but surely, slipping out of his lap. Rushing over, I snatched the box just before it crashed into the ground, earning myself an offended look from the ravenette in front of me.
”Give that back!” He closed the book, after placing a bookmark on the page he was on, and tucked it under his arm as he stood up quickly, in an attempt to intimidate me.
“You were gonna drop it, I just didn’t want the ground to eat your food before you do,” I held out the box to him, unable to hold back my laughter. Shirou stopped, mid reaching of his lunch, he just…stopped, froze, like time had frozen and he just stared at me. Not a “have I grown two heads?” stare but the kinda stare you give a beautiful piece of art, admiring.
“Well…?” Reluctantly, I broke the silence, not wanting the ravenette’s adorable gazing to end. The other boy’s face flushed while he pouted and he snatched the lunch box back, sitting down on the fountain. He opened his once more and placed the box back on his lap.
I took the silence as a personal invitation and sat down next to him, earning another offended look.
“Why are you sitting here? It's distracting,” he huffed, momentarily looking away from the book.
“Ya seem lonely," I shrugged and pulled out my own lunch box from my book bag. “Do ya do anythin’ other than read on your breaks?" I leaned some of my body weight on him, intentionally bumping my elbow against his, for the simple reason that I want to feel his soft skin.
“Yes, I do, in fact!” he huffed once more but then tilted his head to the side to think. “I like to write… and drawing is fun too!"
“Yeesh…" I emitted out a long, exaggerated sigh. “You really are a nerd…”
My comment gave myself another of his infamous glares and an annoyed snarl.
Most of the break we spent in science,the only sound coming from talkative birds, the wooshing sound of the wind and giggling classmates walking past us. When most of the students had cleared out of the courtyard, I saw it as a great opportunity to ask him now
“Would you wanna… Maybe have a study sesh with me…? Like, this week? I'm kinda fallin’ behind on math and could use sum’ help…” I attempt.
“I'm surprised you actually remotely care about your grade… I never saw you as the type,” gives me a shocked look, but so far I couldn't see any rejection.
“Just, uh… Come to my place, on Friday! At eight! Sound good?" I can't help but bounce my leg out of excitement.
“Friday…? Isn't that the day of your party?” He raised an eyebrow and I fished out a piece of paper from my bag.
“Nah, nah! That's on Saturday! I'm totes free on Friday!" I sloppily wrote my address on the white, striped paper and gave it to him. He took it without saying a word, inspecting it slightly. Then he turned on his heel and hastily walked to his next class. “I’ll…I’LL SEE YA ON FRIDAY!” I waved after him, I knew he wouldn’t see me but I still wanted to signal a goodbye. Before he fully escaped my field of view, I heard him mumble a soft: “see you”.
I huffed out a dreamy sigh as I watched him go off, feeling my heart fluttering in my chest.
”So, I’m guessing the plan was a success,” Mochi appeared out of nowhere, startling me and knocking me off my feet into the fountain.
“Shit, dude, you alright?” Hinata leaned over me, extending a hand for my sopping wet self to grab onto, which I took without hesitation to get back on my feet. I attempted to shake the water off of myself like a wet golden retriever.
”Yeah, he fell for it…” I collapsed back onto the edge of the fountain after transferring all of my water onto Mochi and Hinata. “What if he gets pissed for lying to him?”
”Don’t worry, man! Once he pulls up to the party, it’ll be too late for him to back out!” Hinata exclaimed after he finally stopped moaning about getting dirty fountain water on him.
“That sounds like pressuring.” Mochi crosses their arms over their well-binded chest and sends a lecturing look to the bashful ravenette next to them.
Right as I started another sentence, I was interrupted by the school bell’s ringing, signaling that it was time for our next lesson.
“We have gym now, right?” I stuff my empty lunchbox back into my bag and stand up.
”Yup, we’re playing softball against Shirou’s class… and we’re gonna share locker rooms with ‘em~” Mochi teased, nudging my shoulder whilst I felt my face heat up at the thought.
Out of embarrassment I hastily pushed past the pair to run to my locker and grab my gym bag.
I kept the same speed as I walked to the gymnasium, my friends fairly close behind. I couldn’t help but wonder if what Mochi said was true or not, considering I had zoned out every time the teachers mentioned anything gym related. Mochi could’ve told me we would be making our own rainbows from scrap and I would’ve believed them.
The guys’ locker room was loud and rowdy. I hadn’t so much as attempted to memorize any of their names except for Hinata, Mochi and Shirou’s so I didn’t make any small talk and instead shuffled away from the jocks until I was next to Shirou.
“Don't get so close," he snarled and took a step to the left. “You are invading my personal space.”
“I just don't wanna change next to the jocks!” I whispered as I opened my gym bag.
“Jocks? You mean the meatheads. I'm not surprised you're too chicken to get close to them,” he rolled his eyes at my "stupidity”.
“You do it then,” I winked and gave him a tiny little shove with my hip.
“Are you kidding!? I don't want to go near those greasy sweat bags pumped with steroids!” he glared at me once more, wishing to be spared of his fate.
“Then I guess you'll have to change next to me,” I shrugged and spotted the exaggerated huff followed by a noticeable pout in the corner of my eye. I mentally laughed at his, almost cute, pettiness.