Chapter Text
When Keishin came to in the early hours of the morning he was horribly uncomfortable. He'd woken up with his head craned back, at an angle with one arm pinned behind him and the other up on the arm of the loveseat. His spine was twisted, one leg was somehow up on the couch and the other flat on the floor.
Ittetsu, on the other hand, seemed perfectly cozy, curled up on Keishin's chest and taking up the majority of the space on the simple, undersized piece of furniture.
He'd felt horrible wriggling out from underneath the other man, but considering he needed to get to work and was in massive amounts of pain, he didn't really have a choice. He tried to wriggle out, but when that failed Keishin instead scooped the smaller man into his arms, ignored the tingling in his leg, and deposited him on the futon in his bedroom.
And maybe it was the first time he'd gone to work in yesterday's clothes without a hangover, but that wasn't important. He still had the neck and back ache from hell that blemished what, according to the movies, should have been a magical moment.
It didn't help that every time he rubbed one of the said spots he caught his mother, who was sharing the opening shift so they could stock the store, giving him a look.
"Okay, I know what you're thinking and that's not it." He growled, slamming a can of wasabi peas to the ground. "We stayed up all night watching old horror movies and fell asleep. On the couch!"
The look she shot him wasn't the irritation from the outburst like he'd expected. It was disappointment. It quickly shifted, his mother's usual smile crashing the corners of her cheeks. "I see. But honestly, he doesn't seem the type to like such terrible movies."
"Said the same thing and ended up getting a twenty minute lecture on the importance of classic films in modern media." Keishin grumbled, only huffing under his breath but he heard his mother's amused chuckles. "It's not that funny."
"It's not that, Kei. I'm happy. We've never been able to talk like this before."
Of course she was right, which led Keishin to questioning why he was even talking at all. He must be tired. "Okay, whatever."
"You're blushing." She teased, though as she did she wandered back to the register at the sound of the bell. "I'm just glad to see you happy."
…
It became an unspoken arrangement that after each practice they headed back to Takeda's place, cook something instead of ordering in (Ittetsu was not as bad a cook as he originally proclaimed to be, especially once Keishin showed him the basics), and all the while chat over the volleyball team's strategies, training schedule and what they could do to help the boys improve. Afterwards they'd watch a movie. Only one. They'd learned immediately after the first mishap that falling asleep on the couch was beneficial to no one, so instead they always made it to a futon before passing out.
And if more often than not they crashed together, entangled on Ittetsu's futon instead of rolling out the extra for Keishin, he wasn't about to complain. And if it happened enough times that they didn't bother even kidding themselves and stopped even mentioning rolling out the spare? Keishin wasn't going to complain about that, either.
It had been two weeks but already they'd each constantly changed and refined their respective routine around each other to the point it was comfortable. For Keishin it was the happiest he could ever remember being, ruse or not.
He'd decided. He wasn't going to bring it up. He wasn't going to end this thing… not until Takeda did it first.
Keishin was pondering that exact thought and watching the bright eyed first years, all seven of them, participating in a broom race when his phone buzzed in his pocket. There weren't a lot of people that went about texting him except his parents and-
Yep. It was his idiot friends.
"Mm, Shimada wants us to get together at the usual place." He mumbled aloud, not really thinking it through as he did so. It was Friday, last practice of the week and the selfish half of his brain was still fully in control. Keishin was more than mildly considering turning the invitation down.
"It's been a while, right? Maybe it's a good idea."
Keishin jolted in surprise at the sound of Ittetsu's voice despite the fact he was used to the older man popping in out of nowhere. Playing it cool, he clicked his tongue and gave a shrug. No one had noticed that undignified jump, right? Right. "I dunno, you ditching me with those dweebs?"
"I don't want to intrude." Ittetsu said, collecting the last of his things from the bench in front of where he'd been standing during practice.
"And I repeat: Hey, dye-job, we're getting together at the place. Bring Takeda. And money. I'm not falling for that one again…" well, Keishin didn't have to read that last bit out, but he honestly hadn't read the message all the way through, himself.
Fortunately Ittetsu only laughed and adjusted his glasses. "There's a story there, I see."
"Yeah, there is, but it's not safe for a work environment with children." Keishin blatantly exaggerated. "Ask me when I've had a few, which may or may not be tonight, depending on your answer. Are you in?"
…
Keishin's friends were very, very good at one thing and one thing only. That one thing just happened to be showing up thirty minutes before an agreed upon time just to be able to say they 'just got there' in the most condescending way possible. It frustrated Keishin, and they knew it, but thanks to Ittetsu's sunshine bright demeanor the idiot brigade actually skipped most of their typical harassment and actually played nice for a change.
Once they got used to Takeda as part of their little group of friends it would inevitably change, but he'd take it while it lasted.
"Hey guys, ready for beer?" Was instead the first thing out of Takinoue's mouth as Shimada flagged down the waiter. "You're drinking, right? I cleared off the couch and the floor of my apartment just for you guys so you better be drinking!"
"I am not sleeping on your floor." Keishin said with a glare as he led Takeda ahead of him with a hand on the lower back.
"Course not, princess. You can have the couch so you don't injure your precious little back." His long time friend scoffed and gave a side eye to Takeda, just for Keishin's annoyance.
Fortunately the look went unnoticed, but still Ittetsu found his seat and flashed a grin. "The first time he slept at my apartment he woke up with the worst backache, but that was on the couch so I'm not sure if your couch is more comfortable than mine."
"Traitor." Keishin grumbled as his friends had a laugh at his expense, as per usual, with the addition of some suggestive eyebrow waggles. "In my defense I got wrapped up like a damn pretzel. Anybody would be stiff sleeping like that."
"I'm really digging this." Shimada smirked. "Here the three of us, all just throwing jabs at each other without any backing behind it. Then along comes Takeda, sliding in to snatch up a hefty supply of embarrassing Ukai stories. It's a dream come true."
"I'm not trying to embarrass anyone." Now he was the one looking embarrassed. Especially when the waiter returned with their beer, which caused the teacher to jump in his seat in surprise.
Despite the oversharing, Keishin decided to have pity on his partner and pat him on the back, letting his thumb trace a small circle in the fabric. For a moment, as everyone grabbed their drinks, the two locked gaze. There was a question in Ittetsu's dark, round eyes and pitched brow, and Keishin deciphered it with surprising ease. He gave a reassuring nod and a soft smile before they both turned back to the duo across the way.
Apparently they were all going to communicate in glances, because Keishin was met with two smug expressions, each asking a question of their own. He let his eyes flatten and clicked his tongue.
"You guys were so excited about drinking, let's drink. And maybe get yourselves some hobbies."
…
There was a reason Keishin usually only went out in public for drinks once a month, and that was because, of the three of them, now four, his tolerance was the lowest. To be fair he had three, and he wasn't drunk, but he could already feel the tingle starting in his lips and fingertips. It wasn't a bad place to be and he could handle a couple more before getting loud, and a few more after that before he was belligerent, but he was feeling loose, and drinking publically meant that loose was dangerous.
Dangerous because Keishin was terrible at leaving a bit at the bottom of his glass and an empty glass was meant to be refilled.
Keishin had no worries that Takeda would take easily to his friends and fit in, in fact he was quite enjoying letting him talk about whatever crossed his mind. The teacher had already steered the conversation in three separate directions over the course of the night and Keishin just watched and listened.
Besides, he didn't know shit about the importance of dystopian fiction in regards to social and individual progress. He had no idea that Shimada did. Or that he was obsessed with Sayaka Murata, but his friends all tended towards weird stuff. It wasn't any weirder than Takinoue's passion for rewiring lamps or his encyclopedic knowledge of turtles. The only oddball thing Keishin could really boast was his collection of all seventy-two current volumes of One Piece. Though maybe he was missing the most recent one. He made a mental note to check.
"You've been awfully quiet." Keishin snapped out of his thoughts to the sound of Ittetsu's voice.
But his response time lagged. "Oh, I was thinking about One Piece."
To which one of his friends, he couldn't tell which, snorted loudly.
Whatever. It wasn't like it was a secret that he read manga. Or that he tended to read it at work in between customers.
"That's not what I meant." Keishin's hand found his eyes. "I meant that you guys are weird."
Only Makoto made a sound at that and offered his unsolicited translation. "So you were silently judging all our weirdness, including your own as an avid manga collector."
"Not exactly, and I don't need your opinion." He snapped back, taking a swig of his beer, which had been refilled at some point.
"I suppose the conversation wasn't for everyone, I just got really excited to find another bookworm in an unexpected place." Ittetsu continued to smile brightly despite Shimada's feigned offense in the background.
"It's fine." Was all Keishin meant to say, until the drinks in his system rolled his tongue forward. "I like hearing you talk."
Ittetsu's cheeks pinked and the bright smile already in place somehow transformed into something even warmer and more genuine. "Keishin, you're a sap when you drink."
"Am not." Keishin sneered, though it looked more like a pout. It was hard when the other man just casually used his name like that. "I'm allowed to like things. I like it when you're passionate and smart. It feels right." He liked more than that. His cute face. His big, expressive eyes. His blinding smile. The way his glasses were like picture frames or how his whole face would light up when he smiled. And that was only the surface stuff.
Thank whatever greater power watched over him that he wasn't drunk enough to forgo the brain to mouth filter, entirely. All that sounded like gushing. Ukai Keishin didn't gush.
"Dude, that's gross." Of course his shithead friends were still there. He hadn't actually forgotten, despite the mental bubble he'd placed over himself and the man of his affection. Keishin leveled Shimada with the hardest glare he could muster.
"I-I don't know, I don't get a lot of compliments. It's kind of nice." It was even cute how Ittetsu tried to shake off the obvious fluster, only to fail at looking cool, instead.
"That's because you keep your head down, sensei." Surprisingly it was Takinoue that felt like dropping this bit, though he did have to stop Takeda from interrupting. "I don't know if it's a confidence issue or what, I'm no psychologist, but you're definitely used to trying to fly under the radar. When you're comfortable with people you're fine, but when you first met us you tried to blend into the background or divert attention. That's all I'm saying. And I'm not trying to be a jerk or put you down. Just facts. I mean, I'd totally date you."
If Ittetsu had been blushing before he'd gone beet red, now, and was sputtering, incoherently.
Keishin, on the other hand, bristled. "Takinoue, not a good time for jokes."
The response came, not in words, but in an expression unlike anything Keishin had ever seen on his long time friend's face. He was serious, yet Keishin knew that the man wouldn't make that move. Not because of some sort of code, but because of an unspoken accusation he pointed directly at Keishin's heart.
"All right guys, tone it down. We're here to have fun." Shimada waved his hands, doing his best to calm his friends before one of them said or did something they'd regret.
Keishin lifted his glass and downed the entire thing in one go. "I'm gonna take a piss. Be right back."
Actually, he was going to go have a smoke, but he didn't particularly want anybody following him. He needed to cool his head.
…
"I had a feeling you were here, instead of the bathroom." Keishin wasn't all that surprised to hear Takeda's voice, though it was definitely preferred to one of the other two options.
He blew out a puff of smoke but didn't divert his eyes from the brick wall in front of him. "Oh? And how's that?"
He could tell Ittetsu leaned up against the wall beside him, if only by the way his shadow shifted in the street lamp. "Well, you headed the wrong direction for the bathroom, and you were clearly stressed."
"That obvious?" He grumbled.
"You aren't what one calls subtle." The other man hummed, seeming far calmer than before. He paused for a moment, but when Keishin didn't reply he continued. "They know, don't they? About the arrangement?"
"Yep." Though Keishin was starting to regret it.
"Right. I didn't think Takinoue would say something like that unless he knew." Whatever implications Takeda was deciding to draw, Keishin was deciding to ignore.
He still didn't know what to say. No one had really done anything wrong. Not in their words, actions or anything else and Keishin still felt like putting a hole through the wall. There was no excuse for stomping out like he had. Ittetsu was an adult with his own thoughts and feelings. He could date whoever he wanted, even if Keishin got sick thinking about it. Even if that meant their fake dating scenario ended in the worst and most painful way imaginable. It would make it more realistic, sure, but he wasn't ready for it. He didn't want it to end. He just wanted to be with Ittetsu, and it made his guts into churning acid thinking that it would be someone else on Takeda's couch, watching movies and falling together on his bed in a jumble of moans and sweaty skin.
Jealousy and selfishness were ugly feelings and he hadn't wanted Ittetsu to see them front and center. Stupid alcohol was ruining his life. Maybe he should swear off the stuff for good.
"Would you like me to leave you alone? You don't seem to be having a very good time."
For some reason that stopped Keishin's spiral as he turned to gaze at Ittetsu. He looked disappointed. No, sad. When had that happened? "No. You don't have to, I swear I was having a good time. I'm just- I'm just mad--at myself."
Ittetsu scooted against the wall until, just like he did when they were staying in at his place, their arms bumped together. "Well, no one else is upset at you, if that helps you let it go."
Of course they wouldn't be. They knew Keishin better than that. "No, but this isn't so bad."
"One plus to being entirely non-threatening and keeping my head down, I have that effect on people." The teacher shrugged, but Keishin frown deepened.
"That's not what it is, Ittetsu. You should give yourself more credit." like what Takinoue had been trying to say before he'd set Keishin off.
Ittetsu looked surprised, as though Keishin's words weren't just recycled garbage that hadn't processed through the first time. In the moment of silence he could see a question almost being asked, then Ittetsu's eyes cast down and the moment passed.
"Hey." The shift felt a little off, but Keishin ignored it, turning into he was facing the other man, though his shoulder was still pressed into brick. He reached forward and took a fist full of Ittetsu's jacket the moment their eyes locked. "I don't know what you're thinking, but it doesn't look nice. Tell that guy in your head to fuck off."
At least that elicited a chuckle. As though trying to wipe the thoughts away, Takeda ran a hand up his cheek and through his untameable hair. "Stop it, Keishin, I can't keep bouncing between those sweet things you keep saying and the depression demon living in my head. I'm gonna get whiplash."
"Then make the right choice." What did Keishin even mean by that? Takeda might be smart but he wasn't a mind reader.
Ittetsu once again started to search his face. After a few seconds he seemed unable to find the motive he was searching for. Keishin figured it was only fair he gave him a hint.
Using the bit of extra courage he'd consumed earlier, Keishin slipped a hand in the soft, wild hairs on the back of Ittetsu's neck and leaned in. When he met no resistance he pressed their lips together. The kiss was soft but too lingering to be chaste.
And he might have held onto it longer, but Ittetsu seemed to have stopped working.
Silently, he let Ittetsu process the situation, creating enough distance that either of them could duck away if he decided, in that moment, that a line had been crossed. Well, a line had definitely been crossed, but Keishin was still awaiting the verdict if it was an acceptable or appreciated crossing of lines.
"Keishin?"
"Yeah?"
"Be honest with me. You aren't trying to trick me into dating you, right? This wasn't some sort of convoluted scheme?"
Wait. What? Sure he wanted to date Takeda. He always had, but it was hardly planned specifically for that purpose.
"Of course not." In his conviction Keishin tightened his grip on the front of Ittetsu's jacket and frowned. "I haven't lied to you. I'm not trying to trick you into anything. I promise, the mishap with my mother went exactly as I said it did. This isn't some plot made up with the express intent to get in your pants."
No, but he supposed hoping and trying for something more wasn't that far off.
"I'm just… a giant dumbass who doesn't know how to do anything quite right and sometimes stuff other than the rational part of my brain takes over."
Stuff. How kind he was to himself.
"All right. I believe you." Keishin watched as Ittetsu looked up, pushing the smile back on his face, slowly. It looked coy, but he knew that wasn't it. Not right now.
Keishin reached over and brushed his thumb across Ittetsu's cheek. "I shouldn't have gone so fast, didn't give you time to back out, and that was the deal."
"It's okay. It was nice."
The words swelled up in Keishin's chest and he kept them there. He couldn't stop the smile that pushed his lips into his cheeks.
Leaning in, slowly this time, Keishin tilted his head to press another kiss to Ittetsu's lips, letting it linger as long as he was allowed. Ittetsu's hand moved to his shoulder and Keishin's hand to the small of Ittetsu's back, pulling him closer. They slotted together like two pieces of a puzzle and for the first time since they started Keishin didn't worry about the end.
In fact, it felt much more like a beginning, and Keishin couldn't be more excited, as fucking cheesy as that sounded.