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Ever since the sabbath, Akira had been getting a lot of attention at school. At first he had gone through it in a haze, easily able to block everything out. It was a lot harder to do that since he had finally adjusted to his new self. Throughout the school day, girls would come up and try to talk to him or offer him food. Akira wasn't mad at them for it; he just wasn't interested. They were nice girls, but he didn't know them, and they were only talking to him now that he had changed. That was the part that really annoyed him, and he complained about it to Ryo.
“Tell them you're dating me,” is what Ryo said in response.
Akira's jaw had dropped, and his next couple attempts at talking were incomprehensible babble. The thought of claiming Ryo was his boyfriend was—frankly, it was gay. It set off all sorts of alarm bells in Akira's head, but it also made his heart beat a little faster.
“Or don't. It doesn't make a difference to me.”
Akira did.
The next day at school was spent tight lipped and nervous for the first half of it. The lie should have been easy to tell, but the thought if saying it out loud made his heart pound and his stomach flip. Probably because it was gay. Right? It wasn't until lunch, when he was surrounded by concerned girls, that the last straw broke, and Akira finally shouted it out.
“I have a boyfriend!”
For a second, everyone nearby was still, but that was it. Chatter resumed. The disappointed girls were quick to drift away. Akira would be hearing about this from Miki later.
When Akira told Ryo about it, he has simply smiled at him.
They still met up regularly and did things like demon hunting. It was the same as it had always been except for how Akira kept getting nervous and bashful whenever Ryo got too close to him. He couldn't get the word 'boyfriend’ out of his head.
It took Akira another week and several vague conversations with Miki to realize he had a crush. Maybe more than a crush. Maybe he had it really bad. Regardless, he'd rather fight every demon in the world head on than admit it to Ryo at this point. It was just a lie. It was just something to get some girls off his back. Ryo wasn't actually his boyfriend.
Akira pretended that he was when he masturbated.
Not long after Akira's realization, Ryo started getting touchier. He would hold Akira's hand when they walked or lean against him when they sat together. Akira tried to tell himself it was nothing, but there was no escaping his gay thoughts. Ryo was driving him crazy with such simple acts of physical affection. He had to keep reminding himself they weren't actually dating.
The day eventually came where Akira couldn't help himself and kissed Ryo. It set off fireworks inside of him, and it became the best decision he had ever made when the kiss was reciprocated. They still weren't actually dating. They were just good friends who kissed sometimes.
Slowly, at least by Akira's standards, it grew into more than that. He and Ryo started making out more fervently, and sometimes Ryo would move Akira's hands onto his breasts. When they sat together, Ryo often ended up in his lap. Still, they totally weren't actually dating.
“You're coming with me. This is very important,” Ryo said one day, ushering Akira into his car. They were going to some sort of function; scouting for information, as Ryo had put it. It was at least a somewhat formal affair. Akira was given deodorant, cologne, and a change of clothes he found horribly stuffy. He'd wear it for Ryo.
Akira was dressed the part, but he still felt out of place. He felt awkward and took his mind off of it by shoving as many cocktail weenies as he could into his mouth before being stopped by Ryo. He very much was stopped, and Ryo dragged him towards some people he had been talking to.
“This is Akira Fudo, my boyfriend.”
Those were the words that broke Akira. His heart stopped. Those simple words had caused him to stop functioning. His soul had left his goddamn body, and he was left gaping dumbly. Ryo expertly ignored it, getting through the conversation for the both of them. That was more or less how the rest of the time they spent at the function went for them. Ryo kept introducing Akira as his boyfriend despite that. Akira didn't have a chance to recover until they ducked out early, and he was herded back into Ryo’s car.
“Are you my boyfriend?” Akira asked as they sped onto the highway.
“Of course I am.”