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Two days after he one-sidedly met Tanizaki, he saw it again; that bright orange that couldn’t be natural. Michizou’s own coppery hair was the product of hours in a hair salon, and it was a pain to keep everyone believing it was his real hair color.
Their school wasn’t a stranger to unusual hair colors in their students. Blondes weren’t a novelty, and even redheads abounded. Rather strange variations of dark colors walked around the halls, going from one classroom to the other, and he knew of a few rumored students with white hair.
Even with the rumored guy with different eye-colors and white hair walking beside him, Michizou could only see Tanizaki.
There was now a face to associate with the name, and he wasn’t disappointed. He had a soft gaze, with light-colored eyes tuning with his calm atmosphere. He was tall and slender with a fine figure. He wasn’t the most beautiful human to walk the Earth, but he was handsome.
Akutagawa stared at his mouth, agape, and lifted his jaw with his finger before cleaning it with his handkerchief. He wouldn’t even comment on how rude that was, because then Akutagawa would ask.
“He takes cookies to the Literature Club for Nakajima every Tuesday,” his friend commented. “And he shares them with us.”
“What day is today?” He asked without taking his eyes from Tanizaki. When he turned at the corner, he looked at Akutagawa, waiting for his answer.
“Tuesday”
Michizou wasn’t part of any club, so he walked home every day after school. However, he could hang with Akutagawa after school for a few hours.
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The door slid open, revealing an excited blonde and the person he was waiting for. Michizou was surprised Higuchi was still following Akutagawa like a puppy.
The Literature Club found hung out at the library more often than at their club room, a much smaller book depository. Ever since Akutagawa finished every book in their care, he moved them to the library to try and find something he hadn’t read yet.
Mostly, they talked about what they read, and sometimes a member would be brave enough to share what they wrote.
Atsushi had a depressing style and wrote the most tragic stories Michizou had ever heard, but there was a constant theme in his work: hope. The innate talent in that brat was frightening, and Akutagawa loved it but was harsh in his critique towards the first-year.
He wanted to point out Akutagawa was a tsundere when it came to Atushi, but he was terrified of that guy, so he kept his mouth shut until Tanizaki came in.
“We’re here again, senpai,” Higuchi approached Akutagawa with a bag of cookies. “We made sugar cookies.”
“Sorry for the intrusion,” Tanizaki chimed in, struggling to close the door without letting go of the box whirling on his hand.
“Higuchi, I don’t like sweets,” Akutagawa said.
Michizou tried to hide his laugh. “Cold-blooded,” he mumbled behind his hand.
“Senpai, please give this to Gin when you get home!”
Being the only one who could be considered Akutagawa’s friend, Michizou was livid. Others didn’t know he had a sister, a quite cute sister, if he may add. Despite not showing it, Akutagawa would do anything for his sister, and he guarded her with his life.
When they were in the second year of middle school, Gin entered the same school, and she made a friend: Higuchi. The blonde took a liking to Akutagawa and was heartbroken when they graduated and left them. He didn’t hear much of Higuchi after they entered high school, but he’d dare guess spending time with Gin instead of the older model of the Akutagawa family made her fall. And he couldn’t blame her, Gin was, objectively, an absolute beauty.
His friend stared at her wide-eyed. “Why?”
“I can’t go see her today, and I finally got the hang of baking, thank you for being my tester all this time, senpai.”
Michizou wanted to laugh so badly. Akutagawa got used as a guinea pig. Tanizaki looked at his trembling shoulders and placed his hand over one of them. “Are you okay?”
The ginger turned towards him with a hand over his mouth, muffling his soft chuckling. “Yeah, it’s just,” he turned to see Akutagawa accept the bag and give a slight nod to Higuchi, promising to give her present to Gin, in his own silent way. He didn’t regret coming one bit. “Amusing.”
Realizing that it didn’t sound right, he turned towards Tanizaki. “I’ve been friends with Akutagawa since middle school, and Higuchi’s puppy crush was adorable back then,” he explained. “To see how she’s changed her mind and how much it shocked him, it’s what’s amusing.”
He heard a humming acknowledgment from the redhead. He studied his features carefully. He couldn’t see well when he walked next to them. His eyes were beautiful, with a delicate nose and pierced ears, a slender neck that led to what he hoped were marked collarbones. And he was pale, more than in the morning.
“You look pale,” he mindlessly pointed out. “Are you okay?”
Tanizaki showed a surprised look for a second, before stepping away from Michizou. “I’m just tired, don’t worry,” he extended the box he had in his hands towards him. “Do you want one?”
Changing the topic, Michizou noted, but he wouldn’t say no to cookies.
Sweeter than sweet, with a delightful texture and an addictive flavor. Michizou excused himself and took several more to take them home. Or rather, eat them on the way there because they wouldn’t last.
“These are the best cookies I’ve ever had,” he said, and it was nothing but the truth.
A light blush tinged Tanizaki’s ears, and the redhead looked down, avoiding Michizou’s intense look, but not out of fear, like he was used to, but out of shyness. His heart fluttered, and he knew he had to take all the opportunities he could with Tanizaki.
“My name is Michizou,” he would introduce himself, simply that, to get closer and closer, and see what could happen. “Tachihara Michizou.”
“Tanizaki Junichirou,” the redhead answered. “Nice to meet you, Tachihara-san.”
Michizou smiled. “Would you mind if I sneak into your club once in a while to try more of you, Junichirou?”
The redhead’s face became blank, and then an intense red spread all the way to his roots. “Pardon?”
His mind played through what he told him, wondering what made him react that way. Then, it was his turn to blush furiously. “Of your cooking, I mean.”
They both looked away, ashamed. Michizou wanted to know what was going on inside Junichirou’s head to misinterpret his completely innocent intentions.
“I wouldn’t mind, but the club’s president might.”
Michizou couldn’t control his excitement, his heart was beating too fast, and he didn’t know why. He had an idea, but it was a ridiculous one. “Who are they?”
“Dazai-senpai.”
There wasn’t a more efficient way to sour a man’s expression than mentioning Dazai Osamu. The man who took your girlfriend and then left her heartbroken, and somehow got away with anything, didn’t try in class and got the second place every time, only because Louisa was on a whole different level. He annoyed everyone, but somehow had the two best people he had ever met as his friends.
He looked at Junichirou, and he found the resolve he needed; he could work with that.
“He won’t mind,” he rarely cared about anything. “Expect to see me often, Junichirou.”
The redhead nodded and then went to share his divine creations with Atsushi and the rest of the Literature Club.
Michizuo wished he could’ve kept them all for himself.