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The first day of school was always a rough one for Leon. Each year, he would loop through the same routine that he grew bored of; get bothered by fans, date a bunch of chicks, play some baseball, and keep up his popularity. There was barely any room to do what he wanted to do. He couldn’t sing, he couldn’t play his guitar - which he sucked at - and he couldn’t win anyone over with music rather than sports. He only knew what it was like being rough.
So when he got scouted out by Hope’s Peak Academy as the Ultimate Baseball Star, he took the opportunity to change everything.
The first thing Leon changed about himself was his style. Punk rock was his calling, and nothing could change his mind. He grew his hair out, gained hair on his chin, pierced his facial features and ears, and wore thrasher clothing. All was accompanied by a white leather jacket which he had the collar popped up.
The second thing he changed was interests. He was done with baseball. He hated the sport, and only continued to play it because it gave him the attention he craved from his undying legion of fangirls. No, what he wanted to be was a rockstar. He prioritized music over everything else in his life. Music was his big dream now.
And when the first day of school at Hope’s Peak Academy came about, he was ready to show off what he became. Unfortunately for him, almost no one seemed to notice him. Except one.
It was at the end of the day, when everyone was getting ready to leave. Leon was packing up what few supplies he bothered to bring to class, when a figure approached him.
“Um, excuse me?”
Leon turned his head around to get a better look at the individual who wanted to talk to him. He was a short guy with brown hair and faded green eyes, wearing the usual school uniform somewhat loosely on his thin frame. “Are you Leon Kuwata?” he asked.
Leon gave a puzzled look at the boy for a moment. “Yeah, I am.” he responded. “What’s it to you?”
The boy’s eyes slowly but surely began to glimmer, and a smile of excitement grew on his lips. “Oh, I just wanted to say it’s an honor to finally get to meet you, Kuwata-san!” he chirped, “It’s not everyday you get to meet someone your age who’s pretty much an expert in their field. Oh, I should probably introduce myself.”
He stuck out his hand to me, letting to fall loose briefly before slightly tensing up. “I’m Makoto Naegi. I’m the Ultimate Lucky Student.” Leon looked at the hand momentarily, before firmly grabbing it and shaking it rather hard.
After letting go of the handshake, Makoto grabbed him bag and threw it over his shoulder. “Well, I assume you have your own things to do, so I won’t bother you any longer. But it was really nice to get to meet you, Kuwata-san! Take care!” He walked out of the classroom, flashing him a gentle smile before exiting.
In the moments after Makoto left the classroom, Leon looked down at the hand he held Makoto’s with. ‘Soft... his hands were soft...’ Shaking his head to get his mind off of Makoto’s hand, he grabbed his own school bag and made his way out of the classroom.
He stared at his hand as he walked through the school’s corridors.
He stared at his hand as he made his way across buildings to get to the student dorms.
He stared at his hand as he traveled past the other students to get to his dorm room.
He stared at his hand as he locked his dorm’s front door behind him.
As Leon set down his bag on a desk nearby the front door, he made his way over to the bed and flopped down on it. All he could think about was Makoto’s soft hand, and now his soft smile too.
He ran the hand he held Makoto’s in across his face. ‘Why am I thinking about this...’ he contemplated. The thoughts slowly began to change as he sat on his bed longer. Thoughts about Makoto’s soft hand turned into thoughts about Makoto’s soft smile at him. Those thoughts of Makoto’s smile turned into those of his lips. Those thoughts of his lips turned into thoughts of how great they would feel against Leon’s own lips, and-
“Shit.”
Leon Kuwata had somehow fallen for Makoto Naegi, a guy he had literally never met or even heard of before in his life, on his first day at Hope’s Peak Academy.
The first few days of class after the realization of his newfound crush on the shorter boy had Leon tense. He was unsure of how to manage his feelings. He was with girls often in the past, but were guys a different ballgame entirely? It didn’t help that Makoto sat a few seats in front of him, giving the baseball player a full view of his backside.
Occasionally, the two would have to work together for class projects. And though Makoto was able to work effectively, Leon would struggle to do something so inherently simple, like focusing.
“Hey, Kuwata-san, what do you think of these?” Makoto slid over a sheet of lined loose leaf paper with a list of potential baked goods to make for their Home Economics class. “You’re free to add anything you want to it, or cross off anything. I don’t really mind.
Leon’s attention, however, was elsewhere. His legs were propped up on the desk in front of him, the one Makoto slid the list over on, and he was leaning back in his chair. His mind was pondering over the thoughts of him and Makoto being a thing, holding hands, cuddling together under sheets, embracing each other in their arms-
“Uh, Kuwata-san? You okay?”
Leon quickly snapped back to reality, nearly falling off of his chair as a result. He looked at Makoto, taken aback by the sudden jolt of life from him, and looked at the paper the boy had slid over. His fixed his position on his chair and glanced at the list, before sliding it back over. “It’s fine.” was the only response he gave.
Makoto, however, wasn’t satisfied with the response. “Uh... anything that needs to be fixed?” The baseball player shook his head, further disappointed the lucky student a little. “Kuwata-san,” Makoto began, “I really need you to be more active in this. I can’t really do this project by myself...”
“Why should I?” Leon retorted. “It’s not like I’m gonna need most of this stuff in the future. Like, why would I need to come up with a recipe for scones or something in the future? I wanna be a musician, not a goddamn chef!”
“W-Well,” Makoto stuttered in response, “it’s important to know how to make food for yourself to some degree. Besides, some of us may like cooking stuff. I know I do.”
That last sentence gave Leon the thought of seeing Makoto in an apron, cooking breakfast for the both of them in an apartment they share, and it made him instantly regret what he said. “Y-You’re right!” the redhead yelped. “Yeah, it is important isn’t it? Totally agree!”
Makoto looked at the boy quizzically. The sudden change in personality confused him a bit, but he was happy at the new motivation to work on the project. “Alright! I’m glad you’re willing to help now.”
Leon chuckled. “Of course I’m willing to help! You made me realize how important this project is, Naegs. So, let’s get started.” He grabbed the list, and took a good look at the things listed down. “So, how about we make blueberry muffins? That sounds good to me.”
Makoto shuffled in his seat. “Uh, yeah! Sure, I’m fine with that Kuwata-san. But um uh...” Leon looked up at the boy from the list he buried his nose in. “Why did you call me Naegs?”
The realization of the usage of a nickname for a guy he barely knew sent a chill of regret up Leon’s spine.
“Ah, crap! Sorry man, I-I kinda just uh... I kinda give nicknames to people out of habit, y’know?” The redhead’s face was dusted red, eyes glancing away from the brunette out of embarrassment.
The lucky student chuckled after a bit, waving his hand to dismiss the matter. “No no, it’s fine! I was just taken back by it a bit is all. And, honestly... I kinda like the nickname.”
The soft smile on Makoto’s face was enough to melt Leon’s heart and decimate any sense of logic in his mind.
In an attempt to get his mind off of Makoto, Leon pulled the list back up to his face. “So! Blueberry muffins!” he shouted. “Let’s get this started!” Makoto chuckled to himself, and pulled up a chair next to him, the two engrossing themselves in how they should make the muffins.
Things eased up between the two from then on.
On the surface, Leon seemed to have calmed down when around Makoto. And he had. Just not on the inside.
He was always hyper-aware of Makoto’s features and actions whenever they were in the same room together. He had noticed Makoto enjoyed hanging out him, despite the two having drastically different lives. Leon was popular, and destined for the spotlight; hopefully on a stage, he wished. Makoto was... in all honesty, a nobody. But Leon didn’t care.
He just couldn’t afford to let anyone know about his feelings.
Leon Kuwata had an image to maintain in the eyes of the public. He had to seem charming, he had to seem quirky, he had to seem relevant. Makoto Naegi didn’t have to deal with that sort of pressure. In a way, Leon envied his almost carefree life. He knew his feelings for the shorter boy could taint his image.
What would the public say when they found out the boy who was destined for stardom was into guys? They would shun him, he would be shut out of any possibility of success after Hope’s Peak Academy. This wasn’t a school to make his future great; this was a school to make his future abysmal and meaningless if he couldn’t meet the world’s expectations for him.
It almost makes him wish he had never met Makoto.
Almost.
Leon managed to suppress any outward expression of possible romantic affection towards Makoto, opting to be “good bros” with the brunette instead. It at least gave him an excuse be around him without making anything seem awkward. They would hang out with each other after school often, and sometimes do stuff on weekends to pass the time. Even if it had other people involved.
The two boys were invited to a costume party at her dorm for their entire class by Junko at the end of October. Leon dressed up like a vampire for the event, while Makoto was in a sleeveless white and bathing shorts. A pair of sunglasses sat on the top of his head. He tried to say he was “a Californian surfer”, but nobody really believed it.
Much to Junko’s dismay, only about half of the kids in Class 78 attended the party, so she decided to play a game. Seven Minutes in Heaven.
Leon knew he was going to be fucked over by this game as soon as it was brought up.
The nine at the party sat in a circle around a green glass bottle nailed down to some plywood. The order of the circle was Mukuro, Hina, Chihiro, Junko, Leon, Makoto, Sayaka, Hiro, and Kyoko. And with that, the game had begun.
“Alright boys and girls, let’s see who’ll be the first person to enter the closet of clothes I own!” she cheered, almost slapping the bottle in excitement as she spun it around. As it slowed to a crawl, it eventually landed on Sayaka, receiving a slightly nervous smile as a response. A little snigger came from Junko, and a “And victim number two will be...!” as well, spinning the bottle once more... and landing on none other than the baseball star himself.
Leon glanced over at Sayaka, who looked uncomfortable with the prospect of being stuck in a small room with me for longer than five minutes. He flashed her a toothy grin and a wink, but on the inside, he felt the same. Leon really wanted to be inside the closet with Makoto, not her. He wanted to feel the softness of his face in the palm of his hand, and the softness of his lips on his own, and-
“Heeeey, Earth to Kuwata, get up my dude! The game’s waiting on you!”
Realizing he had zoned out, the redhead quickly made his way over the closet, holding the door open for the bluenette and letting the fashionista close it on them, with a faint clicking noise heard behind the wooden door. “Alright you two,” Junko began, “get dirty with each other or something! You got seven minutes!”
As Leon took a seat near the far end of the closet, he curled his knees in and wrapped his arms around his legs, resting his head on the small space he had in between his legs. “...This was dumb...” he mumbled to himself.
What he failed to notice was the bluenette who was now sitting across from him, her white silken cheerleading costume being straightened out by her own fingers. Eventually, she decided to break the silence. “Kuwata-san,” she started, “are you okay?” The baseball star emitted a grunting noise, and the pop sensation inches closer to him, placing her right hand on his knee. “If you need to talk, we can talk right now.”
Leon looked up at her and sighed. “I think I...” he began, before clamming up and mumbling the rest. When she gently rolled her hand on his knee, Sayaka gave the redhead a look that read “say it, I won’t judge you”. He complied. “I, uh... I think I might... be, uh... bi...”
The pop sensation began snickering, much to the annoyance of the baseball star. “Really? That’s it? You have no idea how obvious it is to a fellow LGBT person. Unless you’re like, hyper dense or something.”
One detail caught Leon’s attention. “W-Wait, Maizono-san,” be asked, “what do you mean by ‘a fellow LGBT person’? Are you like, a lesbian or something?”
Sayaka took her hand off of the redhead’s knee, and began massaging the palm of it with her other hand. “Oh, oops. Uh, my mistake!” she nervously chuckled. “Though, I guess it’s only fair to come out now, huh? Yeah, the truth is I’m pansexual. Oh, a-and in a relationship with Ikusaba-san.”
The baseball star looked confused, and he was. Mukuro Ikusaba and Sayaka Maizono? Together? It never crossed his mind as even possible beforehand.
His only response to the whole matter was a simple “oh”, which earned a light giggle from the bluenette. “Yeah, I get how it seems weird and all at first,” she started, “but Mukuro-chan is actually super sweet with me, and super affectionate! Enoshima-san also knows about it, considering how her and Mukuro-chan are sisters and all.”
Is today just revelation after revelation for Leon?
“Wait, hold on, they’re SISTERS?” he exclaimed. “Holy shit...” Another light giggle emitted from the pop sensation.
“Anyways, Kuwata-san, if you need someone to talk to about your crush on Naegi-san, know that me and Mukuro-chan are down to chat whenever!” she remarked. It calmed Leon’s senses momentarily, but then he realized something was out of place in that sentence.
“Wait, Maizono-san, how did you know I had a crush on Naegs?” The pop sensation gave the baseball star a wink and stuck her tongue out. Before he could ask any more questions, the closet door slid open.
“Alright, you two, time to get out of your steamy minds, ‘cuz it’s time to move on with the game!” Junko exclaimed as she slid the door open. The two in the closet left one after another, and the three of them returned to their seats. “Okay, round two! Here we go!” the fashionista remarked as she hit the bottle to send it spinning.
Leon looked over at Sayaka, who gave him a gentle smile and a light nod, as if to signify he could confide in her in the future if need be. And that made him feel less worried about his crush on Makoto. Even if the worries were only gone momentarily.
The months rolled on by, and the second term of the school year was coming to a close. Snow had swept Hope’s Peak Academy on its feet, turning the school campus into an almost idyllic winter wonderland, perfect for romance. Christmas was less than a few days away, and Leon had already made arrangements to go out and visit his folks for the holiday. It didn’t, however, prevent him from trying to do something for his crush.
The baseball star was staring out of the classroom window close to his desk, twirling the end of his candy cane-colored scarf with his finger as he watched the snow gently dance in the air before gracefully falling down to coat the rims of the window sill. He thought about how cheesy it would be to confess to Makoto under mistletoe, yet how romantic it would be at the same time.
The final bell rang for the day, and he perked up at its trilling sound. The school term was over, and everybody was going to get ready to go do their things for the break. This was his opportunity.
Leon threw every belonging he had on him together in a wild frenzy, and bolted out of the classroom, down the halls, out the school, and over to the dorm rooms. The redhead scurried to get his door open, and threw his belongings across the room. He opened every drawer, checked behind every door, investigated under every garment of clothing haphazardly strewn across the room, until he found what he was looking for.
Makoto’s Christmas gift.
It was a small gift, kept in an olive green box that was delicately wrapped with a forest green ribbon. Leon hummed as he found the gift, impressed by how intricately handled it seemed. If he didn’t struggle so much with trying to make it look as nice as it did, he would’ve thought a professional had wrapped the gift with relative ease.
The boy figured he would wait a bit before giving the gift to Makoto. Handing it over to him almost immediately may be a little too headstrong for him, especially with the air of taboo almost hovering over the prospect of them being a pair. Leon sighed as he looked over at the clock next to his dorm room. 3:12. “Well,” he mumbled, “may as well get ready for the flight tomorrow.”
Taking out a suitcase, the baseball star packed up some clean clothes, folding them neatly as he sorted out the chaos across his room, as well as some necessities and other amenities he wanted to bring. He took the time to organize everything else in the dorm ..’room; he threw all his dirty clothes into a hamper he would take to be washed after his return, he set his school work neatly, and he dusted some counters with a spare shirt that he threw into the hamper with the rest of his dirty clothes.
Leon took a look at the clock again. 4:27. ‘Now’s a better time than never...’ he figured. Grabbing a thicker coat for the more chilly air and the gift, the redhead was off to deliver the gift.
As he wandered around the snow-covered campus grounds, the redhead eventually found the brunette hanging up Christmas decorations with Sayaka near where the gymnasium would be located. The lucky student was in a thick black coat wearing a white beanie and some dark blue mittens. The pop sensation was in more trendy winter attire, with light pink dusting the entirety of her outfit, save for her cream colored scarf and fur boots.
The baseball star took a deep breath, swallowed his fears, and made his way over to the two. “Hey guys! What’s up?” he asked. The bluenette turned her head around, a light grin growing on her face. The brunette followed suit quickly after.
“Oh, hey Kuwata-kun,” Makoto responded, “Maizono-chan and I are just hanging up some Christmas decorations around the school before some of us leave to go places for this break. Do you wanna help us?”
Leon really wanted to say yes, but he knew if he stuck around, things might become more tense for him. “Thanks man, but I need to pack up my things soon. Visiting family and all that, y’know?” While it was true he was visiting family, he was already done packing. He just wanted to give Makoto the gift before he turned into a blushing mess.
“Oh, I get how that goes,” the lucky student replied, “I’m leaving tomorrow to go see my family tomorrow. I think Maizono-chan’s also leaving for a quick tour in South Korea with her band. Am I right on that part?” The pop sensation nodded. “Okay. Just wanted to make sure.”
The little interaction threw Leon into a slight chuckle of amusement. “Naegs, you really care for everyone, don’t you...?” After a bit more of laughter, the redhead calmed down. “Anyways, I got a Christmas gift for you man. As a sign of good friendship, y’know?” His calloused hands reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the small gift he had gotten, and slightly offered it outwards. “I-I know it isn’t much, but I figured you’d-“
The baseball star was silenced by the gentle thud of the lucky student’s body onto his body, his soft arms wrapping around his torso. The redhead froze in place, a rush of red coating his entire face. The bluenette was taken aback by the action, stifling a laugh with one hand on her mouth as the other offered a thumbs up.
The hug was a short lived one, as the lucky student pulled away quickly after, only offering a nervous chuckle and a light cough to ease the awkwardness. After a few moments, he spoke up with “S-Sorry, it’s just that I- I never expected to get a gift from someone who’s basically a celebrity, y’know?”
“Naegs, man, don’t worry about it, alright? It’s cool.” The redhead flashed his signature grin, jokingly punching the shorter boy in the arm lightly. “Anyways,” he began, “I gotta get going now. Cya you two.” He handed the gift over to the boy, and made his way back to the dorms.
When he closed the door behind him, the baseball star’s legs went limp and he sunk down onto the floor, his breathing heavy and face dusted with red. All he could think about was the softness of Makoto as he clung onto his frame just minutes beforehand. ‘I want... to feel that softness forever...’ he thought to himself. After stabilizing his breaths, Leon propelled himself upward from his now uncomfortable position, and laid on his bed, thinking about that softness he felt and yearns for.
“Merry Christmas, Naegs.”
The two boys were on a Skype call, chatting with each other on Christmas afternoon. Both of them had arrived at their family’s places, spending quality time with their folks.
Makoto slipped the gift Leon had gotten him - a chrome colored Rolex watch - on his wrist, looking at it with awe. “K-Kuwata-kun, I’m at a loss of words...” the lucky student had finally managed to say. “This must’ve been really expensive... you really didn’t have to get this for me.”
“Dude, it’s nothing, really. Consider it a token of our friendship, yeah? You deserve great things for being a great friend y’know.” Leon really wanted to add how he felt about Makoto’s entire existence being worth more than money could ever afford, but he knew it would be rather cheesy.
Before Makoto could remark about anything, the thud of a full hamper could be heard in the background of his side, followed up by an exasperated gasp. “Makoto...” the voice questioned, “are you on Skype talking to who I think you’re talking to?” The voice was soon connected to a figure that emerged from off the screen; a teenage girl with dark green hair and similarly colored eyes. As the girl approached the screen, she stopped for a moment before letting out a high-pitched squeal, taking both of the boys by storm. “Oh my gosh, it really IS you! You are THE Leon Kuwata! Holy cow, it’s an honor to meet you!”
“K-Komaru, calm down please!” Makoto ushered. After the girl relaxed a little - she was still beaming ear to ear though - and took a seat next to the brunette, he let out a sigh of relief. “Sorry about that Kuwata-kun...” Makoto apologized. “She can get a little excited when meeting people she likes. A-Anyways, this is my younger sister, Komaru.”
“Yo! It’s always a pleasure to meet a fan.” Leon greeted the girl in his typical manner. Komaru slowly became more and more excited, and was about to let out another shriek of excitement when Makoto covered her mouth, telling her to not bother the neighbors. The baseball star let out a small laugh. “Y-Yeah, I tend to get that reaction a lot...”
Komaru turned to face Makoto. “Makoto, why did you never tell me you were classmates with THE Leon Kuwata? Is there anyone else you’re classmates with? Anyone famous? Anyone I like?”
Makoto pondered on the question. “Well, he began, “I am classmates with a few people. There’s Kuwata-kun, of course, and a few others. Let’s see... Toko Fukawa, Byakuya Togami, Junko Enoshima, Sayaka Maizono-“
“Wait. Did you just say Sayaka Maizono? THE Sayaka Maizono? My idol and the lead singer of my favorite band? THAT Sayaka Maizono?”
“...Komaru, you ARE aware the three of us went to the same middle school at the same time, right?”
Komaru’s eyes became glossy as her body went limp, slightly slumping over as she gazed at the floor. Slowly, her mouth began twitching, and started forming small stutters. As she increased her volume, her body language grew exponentially where her eyes were shimmering brightly. “O-Oh no, she’s gonna blow...! Sorry Kuwata-kun, I’ll text you later bye-!” Makoto cut off the call a split second after Komaru erupted into an ear piercing bellow of excitement, which rang in Leon’s ears for a solid minute after the call ended.
As the baseball star closed his laptop, he heard a light snicker from behind him; one he immediately knew who it belong to. And it was all confirmed when he heard “Leon Kuwata, the Ultimate Baseball Star, crushing on a guy with no discernible talent instead of some popular girl... what do you think the news would headline that as?” from someone nearby.
“Shuddup, Kanon...” he mumbled. The girl burst out into a quick laugh, and made her way over to the seat next to the redhead. She sat down and chugged the rest of the water bottle she was holding.
“You think it’d be ‘Teen Athlete Crushing On Literal Nobody’, or even ‘All-Star Falls For Male Classmate’? Ooh, how about ‘Upcoming Athlete Has The Big Gay’? I’m betting on that third one. It sounds the most hip and clickbaity.” she teased. The boy jabbed her in the arm, and they both broke out into laughter. “Nah, but seriously,” Kanon started up, “he seems nice. Who is he?”
“Oh, he’s my classmate. Makoto’s his name. There’s really nothing really special about this, save for maybe his unwavering optimism in the bleakest of times, but he’s a great guy. Kinda just... fell for that part of him, y’know?” As he finished up, Leon’s body was tense and his face was redder than a cherry.
Kanon patted her cousin on the shoulder with her free hand, and gave him a reassuring smile. “Dude, it’s not all that bad. Really. Figure out what you want to do for a bit, yeah?” She got up from her chair and began making her way to the nearby staircase. “Anyways, I’m off to go do some light cleaning in my room. Your’s is a pigsty, by the way; pick up your dirty clothes off the floor for once please. Cya.”
As Kanon went out of sight once more, Leon looked down at his hand, opening and closing it repeatedly. ‘What I want to do, huh...?’ he pondered to himself. He clenched his fist. ‘What I want to do... is get advice.’
“You want advice from us? Seriously?”
It was the first week back from break, and the final term of the school year had begun. Leon wanted to get advice from a couple about how he should approach his feelings on Makoto. Preferably, he wanted advice from a couple that understands his situation. One he can confide in for assistance. One like Sayaka and Mukuro.
Sayaka set down her cup of tea on the table they shared, looking up at Leon quizzically. “Are you... sure you want advice from us? Like, I get we’re probably your best confidants, but I’m not sure if we’re also your best consultants, if you catch my drift.”
“I understand, but I literally know no one else in a situation remotely similar to mine.” the redhead spoke. “I mean, the hell would the press say? ‘Teen Athlete Crushing On Male Classmate’? Like hell I’m risking my rep for that kinda exposure at the moment.” His grip on the paper cup of coffee in his hands slightly tightened, and his shoulders tended up. “Not yet.”
Mukuro finally decided to comment on the situation. “Kuwata-san,” she started, “it’s important to understand that your feelings are ultimately you, and not your reputation. I’m in no way going to pressure you to do anything you don’t want to do. That would be wrong of me to do so. However...” she gently wrapped her arm around Sayaka’s torso, causing the bluenette to turn into a blushing mess, “if it helps in any way, the both of us are planning on coming out to the public later on this month about our relationship.”
The baseball star stared at the raven haired girl with a look of both surprise and realization adorning his face. Gears in his mind were starting to spin. He was figuring out what he should do.
Sayaka managed to control her raging blush, and spoke up once more. “We’ve actually been planning on doing this for a while, so it’s not like this is sudden. This sort of stuff takes time to decide.” She pecked Mukuro on the forehead, with the soldier’s freckled cheeks glowing a rosy tint in response. “So don’t rush anything, okay?”
The boy took the last sip from his coffee, and got up from the navy blue couch he was sitting in. “Well, this conversation’s given me a bit to think about, in terms of what I should do. Uh, thanks for everything you two. Cya around!” He flashed his signature smile to the couple as a sign of gratitude, and made his way from the lounge they had the pleasure of having to themselves to his dorm room.
Throwing himself on his bed, there was one specific thing that rang in the redhead’s mind. One specific day, one specific holiday. One specific upcoming holiday that would be happening the following month, and would be the perfect time to confess.
Valentine’s Day.
Leon tossed himself around on top of his sheets. ‘Alright, Valentine’s Day, nothing crazy...’ he thought. ‘Just... be yourself. Maybe a little extra, but not too much.’
Apparently, the phrase “not too much” was never registered in Leon’s mind whatsoever.
A few days before Valentine’s Day rolled around, the redhead decked the halls of Hope’s Peak with strings of paper hearts. Of course, he did it all in secrecy due to not getting permission from any of the staff at the prestigious school. Nobody seemed to really be bothered by the decorations, save for Kiyotaka “Rule Boy” Ishimaru, who was constantly spouting how it “distracted students from their education”.
When the actual day arrived, Leon was, to say the very least, tense about the whole ordeal. He wanted to impress Makoto with everything he did, everything he felt, everything he did and felt for him. But he wasn’t sure if it would be reciprocated.
By the luck of a miracle, it was actually Makoto that approached Leon after the final bell for the day had ended. Everyone else was gone from the classroom, so it was just the two of them left. “Hey, Kuwata-kun,” Makoto asked as he walked over to the other boy, “do you know who did the decorations?”
Leon shrugged, faking not to know who, leaving the brunette slightly saddened by the response. “Y-Y’know, though,” the baseball star added on, “it’s probably a gesture. Probably to uh... to get people in the romantic spirit, yeah?” The lucky student nodded in agreement.
“Probably. I know it definitely has me feeling that spirit.” A light flush of pink coated his cheeks as he softly scratched his cheek with a finger. “It uh... also has me thinking about a certain someone. Someone I like.”
That one line peaked the redhead’s interest really quickly.
“Oh, really?” he asked, a cocky grin emitting in a joking manner from his mouth. “What’s this person like?” The shorter boy’s pink cheeks turned into a darker shade, beads of sweat starting to form on his forehead as he chuckled nervously.
“I-I’d really not share too much,” he started timidly, eyes practically boring holes into the ground, “but uh... they’re someone I had a somewhat rocky relationship with at the start of this school year. But as time went on, we got closer. They uh... they even got me a Christmas gift. It was a really nice one too...” He looked up at the baseball player, the dark shade of pink a gentle tint of red now. “Does that sound like someone to you?”
It was Leon’s turn to go red, his smirk quickly turning into a face of internal shock. Without saying anything, he slowly nodded in response to the brunette’s question. It wasn’t long after before he piped up with a soft “Y-Yeah... I think so.” as a response.
The air around the two in the empty classroom was heavy, and the silence between the two awkward and tense. For a solid minute, Leon wished he had never put up the decorations, just so he didn’t have to deal with this almost unbearable discomfort between the two.
“Well, I’m gonna head off.” Makoto said in an effort to break the silence. “Cya Kuwata-kun.” It wasn’t long before Leon reacted.
“Makoto.”
Saying his first name out loud caught the both of them off guard. The lucky student turned around to face the baseball star, causing the latter to stand up from his desk in an instant. The silence loomed in the air once more, before Leon piped up.
“Listen, I just... I need to get something off my chest. It’s something I’ve been feeling for a while. I like you, Makoto. I-I think you’re a great guy, and you’re super sweet, a-and soft, and I just... I did all of this-“ he gestured to the Valentine’s day decorations on the walls “-for you. I wanted to impress you, cuz I think you’re a hella great person. A-And I’m totally understanding if you don’t feel the same way about me. I mean, a guy liking a guy? Isn’t that weird or what? I just... I hope nothing changes between us if you don’t feel this way about me.”
The air around them softened as the taller boy gently rubbed the side of his arm with his other hand, eyes looking away in shame. “Kuwata-kun...” Makoto almost whispered. A soft giggle emulated from him, causing Leon to look back up, only to see the shorter boy slightly hunched over, laughing softly as pink dusted his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. “I... I’m not sure what to say, except... I feel the same way.”
In that moment, Leon’s heart skipped a beat as his whole face turned a scarlet red with his eyes widening to an almost exaggerated size. “R-Really?” he asked. When Makoto responded with an enthusiastic nod, the baseball star began laughing, and took a seat. “Man, I really thought you were gonna hate me for a minute...”
“I could never hate you Leon,” Makoto responded, “not ever.” He made his way over to Leon’s seat, and straddled his open leg in an almost childlike manner. “Uh, it’s fine if I call you Leon, right? Because I don’t mind you calling me Makoto.” A gentle nod was all he needed, and it was what we got.
“So uh... how should we go about this?” Leon asked. “Like, we’re a thing, no doubt about it, but like... what should we do next?”
Makoto pondered over the question. “Let’s take it slow,” he answered, “since it’s best not to rush in this sort of thing. In the meantime...” He scooted up Leon’s leg, leaning close to his face. “Is there anything you wanna do?”
The redhead smirked. “I think... I’d like to kiss you.” Makoto giggled.
“If you insist.”
Leon delicately wrapped his rough, calloused fingers on Makoto’s soft, smooth skin, and pulled him into a kiss. His own slightly chapped lips were met with soft and gentle ones, and in that moment, all his worries washed away.
He didn’t have to worry about trying to be cool anymore. He didn’t have to worry about his reputation with the media. He didn’t have to worry about his bisexuality. All he had to worry about now was Makoto, whom he was more than happy to focus on wholeheartedly. The boy had stolen his heart from Day One, and it was finally being reciprocated. For one blissful moment, he wanted nothing in the world but him.
And in that embrace of love, Leon learned what being soft felt like. And he loved it.