Chapter Text
“Thank you again for helping me with this.” Sakura said, bandaging her hands. Taka beamed at her, hands clenching around the wraps of his sarashi.
“Ah! No problem Oogami! I’m so happy you came to me to help with furthering your education!”
Sakura gave a meek smile back.
“Of course. You’re the third strongest person in our class, outside of myself and Oowada, and we both know he would never help with something like this.” she said, getting into a crouching position.
“Obviously. He probably has some backwards moral standpoint about women being too weak to fight.” Taka laughed, ignoring the fact he had a similar breakdown right after Sakura originally asked for his help.
“Actually it was because he didn’t want to stay after school.” she offered, and lunged.
Taka had only a moment to dodge before Sakura was up and on him again. Her hands grabbed his arms and tugged him around, but he planted his feet on the ground and twisted himself free. Turning and sprinting around her, he hoisted himself by her shoulders, and attempted to overpower her.
Saura grunted, and before Taka could blink, the world flipped and he was suddenly on his back. He spluttered and wheezed, and looked up to see Sakura kneeling on his stomach.
“A good fight.” she said sagely. Taka didn’t agree in the slightest, but his head was too busy spinning for him to argue.
“You are much wilier than most of my opponents, being smaller and all. Hina is good at dodging too, but she’s more of a strict diet-and-exercise kind of athlete than a hand-to-hand combat kind.”
“Right. Yep.” Taka got out, struggling to get his bearings. Was the world shaking or was that just him?
“Alright Oogami, I changed my mind about that… thing.”
Taka managed to force his eyes to focus, and saw the tennis shoes of Mondo stepping forward.
“Oh. Good afternoon Oowada. I found a replacement, but if you like I could battle you afterwards?”
“Er, right.” Mondo was giving him a funny look, and only then did Taka realise he was spread eagle on the floor.
Normally he’d be hyperfixating on the fact that he was being shrugged off in favour of Mondo-a delinquent-but he was too focused on the others clothes.
His casual wear.
It never occurred to Taka that Mondo might dress differently in school than outside. He figured he’d never bother to make an effort.
But oh, god, he’d prefer Mondo to start not making an effort more often.
His hair was loose, tumbling in thick waves around his shoulders, rusty blonde curls with strands of brown like a shadow around his neck. A heavy looking white denim jacket was encassing his arms, revealing a bare chest underneath. A bare, bronze, massive chest.
Mondo’s six pack was even more impressive on display than the few glimpses Taka saw-and pointedly avoided-in the locker rooms. He had a level of fat that showed a life of exercise and fighting-needing a layer of protection against real strain, not like those strict, professional workouts of Leon and Aoi. This made his chest bulge and seem bigger, almost indecent to have out in public. A set of v-shaped muscles stood strongly at his hips-which Taka could probably remember the name of if his mouth wasn’t suddenly flooding with spit-presenting a thin line of hair disappearing into his low-slung trousers.
“Alright Pointdexter?” Mondo laughed, winking. Any of the usual shame or anger ot being caught in such a ridiculous position was wiped, and Taka couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
“What, you ignoring me?”
“I think I might have hit him too hard. Go and get changed, and i’ll see him out.” Sakura told him, giving Taka an odd look. Mondo shrugged and sauntered off towards the locker room.
“Alright. Brought my gym uniform if that helps.”
“Yes, yes it does.” Sakura nodded, watching him go.
Taka just lay there, head suddenly spinning for another reason.
Mondo in the gym uniform. Tight, tight shirt and tiny shorts. Mondo getting undressed. Mondo in his underwear. Mondo naked.
“Ishimaru!”
Taka was jolted back to reality, all too aware of the missing weight on his stomach and the sudden ability to breath again.
“Oh, i-i’m sorry Oogami I didn’t mean to space out…” He trailed off at the looks she was giving him. Or not at him but at his-
There was a tent in his gym shorts. Taka just stared at it. It twitched.
Taka screamed.
“OH! OH MY GOD OOGAMI I AM SO SO SORRY! THAT WAS SO DISGUSTING OF ME I CAN’T BELIEVE I WOULD DO SOMETHING SO PERVERSE!” He cried, curling in on himself and clutching his knees. Fat tears burst from his eyes like a leak, and snot dribbled down his chin.
“Ishimaru it’s okay.”
He just whimpered.
“It’s a natural reaction to such close proximity. It has happened many times during my fights. This is one of the many reasons we recommend getting a cup. It doesn’t mean anything.”
A line of dribble escaped from his mouth from dry heaving, and Taka quickly wiped it away.
“Although, and I know this isn’t the time to bring this up but we don’t talk that much, I would like to ask you something?”
Taka nodded, grimacing at the wet, sticky feeling encasing his face.
“I was on top of you for a while, and you only started… that, when Oowada walked in. Could I ask-”
“I’m disgusting. You don’t have to humour me.”
“I’m not. I’m asking. Because Hina and Makoto have created a GSA and I wanted to know if-”
“What’s a GSA?”
“Gay Straight Alliance.”
“Oh.”
Taka was sure there was some part of him that was supposed to argue with a suggestion like that, but he couldn’t find it in him.
“Why-why would you think I should join?”
“Well at first it was because you seem to take joy in organising events and planning clubs. And then when I saw-or rather felt-your reaction to Owada I wondered if maybe…”
“I’m so, so sorry.” He muttered into his knees.
“I said before, it’s fine. The club helps with figuring out sexuality, family issues, coming together as a community. That sort of thing. Will you help?”
“Would it help with controlling…” Taka trailed off, looking at his crotch. The shame and humiliation was made his-his dysfunction go away, but he could still feel the phantom heat there, and he cringed.
“I don’t know. That might be on the agenda, i’ll check. So will you come?”
Taka nodded, quickly, eager for any out from this conversation. Sakura clapped her hands together.
“Good so next I think we should-”
But Taka was already on his feet and sprinting for the door.
Taka-against his better judgement-did look into the GSA and was now standing in front of at a table in the empty cafeteria, staring back at the four other people there.
His abject humiliation was only overridden by his love of organising events.
God, he loved organising events.
“So… I hear you need a manager?” he started, running over his list of ‘fun conversation starters to make new friends’ through his head. This wasn’t mentioned anywhere.
“Er, yeah! I’m so glad you could come, Taka! I know your schedule is jam-packed but we really wanted your help with getting us off the ground.”
“Or getting us an actual club room.” Toko muttered, picking at her plate of cold leftovers.
“Ah, Fukawa I didn’t know you were, um…”
“Bisexual.” she said, and Taka nodded, filing that away in his brain to research later.
“So what did Sakura say to change your mind?” Hina asked, bouncing in her seat. Taka looked over at Sakura, who made a finger on mouth gesture. He swallowed.
“Um… you just know how much I like organising!” He joked awkwardly. Makoto laughed back.
“Haha! Right! So, if you don’t mind me asking, for the register, what is your sexuality?”
“We also accept gender based identities as well!” Aoi piped up. Taka filed that away too.
“Ah, well, um, I-I-”
“You can say if you’re gay, none of us will judge. Obviously.” Toko stabbed at her potato with a plastic knife. Taka flinched.
“But you don’t have to if you don’t want to.” Makoto countered, and the two of them sent each other a Look that Taka couldn’t identify.
“That’s part of why i’m here, actually. Sexuality is a new thing for me and I wanted to know more.”
“Of course! That’s a great reason too, Taka.” Hina beamed.
“I-I’ve started noticing men, in a way I can’t identify.” he said, blushing. Makoto and Hina blushed too, but Toko just snickered to herself.
“What kinds of ways?”
“Ways I don’t think I could mention without giving myself another detention for Public Indecency.”
“‘Another’?” Toko parroted back, suddenly interested. Taka sent a wide eyed look over to Sakura, who leaned forward a little.
“Why don’t you tell us some of your concerns so we can help you?” She asked. Taka took a gulp of breath, and steadied himself.
“So how do I know this isn’t some big phase? I don’t want to completely reinvent my identity only to find out I have to change it back again in a year or so?”
“You won’t be ‘reinventing’ anything. Nothing has to change Taka, other than a few labels.” Aoi tried to help from beside Sakura. Taka squirmed in his seat, frowning at his plate. Hands twisting and clenching together, he was sure he made a right mess of himself to look at. Before he could start berating himself, Makoto stepped in again.
“Maybe you should try and experiment? Just to make sure? Sexuality can be… complicated, and trying to find a label that fits may take some time. But there’s no rush. So just try and explore all of your options.”
It sounded to Taka like Makoto was reading off a script, but there was one word that stuck out.
“Experiment? Like create a hypothesis, test your prediction and create a conclusion out of it?” he asked, listing off the steps with his fingers. It was just science! And he got the best grades in science, this would be easy.
Toko snorted into her milk carton.
“God it’s like explaining sex to a lab rat.” She muttered, before Makoto elbowed her in the chest.
“If that’s what works for you then go right ahead.” he said, glaring at Toko, who snarled back.
“I think he should just pull those neatly pressed slacks down and go at it, right now, and come to his own decision. In the cafeteria. In front of everyo-”
“Toko!” a chorus of reprimands rose from the rest of the group. She shrunk into her braids.
“Sorry. Habit. It won’t happen again.” She wiped away a hint of drool.
Taka nearly swam where he sat, head whipping to each other person at the table.
“What does she mean, ‘go at it’?” He asked. Maybe this could be another pop culture reference to add to the list. But Makoto and Aoi just looked away, ears burning.
“Hm?”
“I-I mean, she’s right that would… help.” Makoto fumbled, pointedly not making eye contact with anyone.
“I don’t understand.”
“She means masturbate.” Sakura said calmly, petting a frazzled Hina’s hair. A sudden lump of vomit made its way up Taka’s throat and he choked.
“I-I-Miss Oogami that is disgusting! And in the cafeteria no less! I’m sorry but i’ll have to give you and Miss Fukawa detention for tomorrow-”
“Jesus Taka, calm down.” Hina finally came back to her senses, and snatched away the detention slip he was waving around.
“It is not fine! It’s a public indecency!”
“Masturbation is nothing to be ashamed of Ishimaru. It’s perfectly natural to do and talk about. It said so in that video we watched in health class.”
“Oh yeah I remember, The one with the banana and the condom? That was really funny.” Hina added on, laughing to herself.
“Education is no laughing matter, Asahina. A-and I thought that part was just an add on, y’know, to fill time?”
“Jesus Taka. No, doing… that is normal. I mean, you do it, right?”
Taka’s face twisted in disgust. He could feel his heart beating in his chest from the adrenaline from such a risky situation. His ears were pricked for any teachers who might come past and scold them all.
“God, no! That’s revolting! I would never do something as-as perverse as that!” He snapped, knuckles clutching his seat.
The table went quiet.
“Wait so you’ve never…”
“No.”
“Not even when-”
“No.”
“But you’re seventeen! You’ve gone seventeen years without ever-”
“No!”
The other three people he was sitting with just sat staring at him, and he was struck with the familiar, uncomfortable feeling he had said something wrong.
“But why?!” Toko finally asked, tugging at her braid. He wondered if she was struggling to hold back some gross comment.
“Because it’s unnatural. It’s like having a napkin. You wouldn’t let anyone use it, that’d make it all gross. You have to save it.”
Again, the bug-eyed stares he was getting washed over him. But they had a touch of… sadness?
“Oh Taka,” Hina sighed, crossing her arms. “Did they tell you you were a shoe too? Or a flower with its petals picked off?”
“Exactly!” Taka exclaimed, glad that someone was finally getting it. Hina didn’t look as pleased.
“Abstinence can be an option, but it should be your choice to make, not because someone told you to do it.”
“But-” Taka looked at each of them, shoulders creeping higher and higher to his ears. He’d got it wrong again. He’d talked too much and got it wrong.
“Lots of people are told the same thing you are!” Makoto jumped in before Taka could start berating himself too much. “But that’s just not okay. Your worth isn’t determined by who you do or don’t sleep with. And m-masturbation isn’t ‘unnatural’ either.”
“It can be a stress reliever. And help with migraines.” Sakura added pointedly, nodding.
Taka squinted at her. That didn’t sound right, but he wouldn’t doubt her. She wasn’t the type to play tricks on people.
“You don’t have to, but it might, I dunno, help?” Makoto finished, shrugging. The air around them had suddenly become less heavy, and it felt like something had been removed from around Taka’s shoulders.
“I-I’ll think about it.” He murmured, picking up his tray and stumbling towards the bins.
“You should know I had, like, twelve different puns going through me while that was happening and I think you should be proud I refrained.”
“Well done Toko.”
“... wanna hear what they were?”
“No Toko.”