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Under the high collar of his jacket was a frown on Toge’s face. He squinted and sunk down lower into the soft cushions of the couch, eyes staring at the two underclassmen who talked across the room. It was painful to watch. The two obviously had a crush on each other but neither of them were taking an advancement for their own reasons. One wasn’t even aware while the other was far too nervous or shy to say anything.
“What’s wrong?”
Toge glanced over as someone plopped down on the couch next to him. She leaned back and kicked up her feet on the coffee table. Giving a small shrug in response Toge looked back at the two across the room.
“You know, you and Yuuta were like that our first year too?”
“Huh?” Toge snapped his head back the one next to him. “Katsuobushi.”
“I know we’re not supposed to bring up Yuuta when he’s overseas or you get sad or whatever—“
“Okaka.”
“But I’m just saying you were both annoying,” she said, crossing her arms. “Both clearly having crushes on each other and saying nothing.”
“Maki’s right.”
Toge couldn’t catch a break. With a groan he let his head fall and hit the back of the couch. Relaxing on the couch was meant to be relaxing . Not getting harassed by his friends and not being reminded of how much he missed his boyfriend.
“Katsuobushi,” Toge hissed under his breath as a way to tell them to shut up.
“I remember in your first year,” Panda began to say from over the back of the sofa, “when Yuuta first joined us. You were overwatering the plants one day because you were thinking about him.”
“Okaka!” Toge lifted his back off the couch and looked at Panda. He didn’t know why he was yelling at Panda because he was right.
Toge stood in the garden of the college. It was well-kept and that was because of Toge. He was the only one who put any attention to it. A few other people did but they only did when Toge was busy on a job.
He tilted the watering can, watching the cold water shower the petals of the flowers. It was a job that he did alone but that didn’t mean Toge wanted to be the only person watering the plants. They deserved more than that.
He didn’t want to ask Maki, she had enough on her plate with her family as it was. Panda wouldn’t because Toge made too many jokes about worrying Panda would eat the flowers. You know like pandas eating plants? Toge thought it was funny. He wasn’t going to ask Megumi, he was busy working on perfecting his technique which he was pretty close to. The underclassman did well for someone who technically wasn’t even a student at the college yet.
There was a new first year with them. Okkotsu Yuuta. He seemed nice, kind, and Toge had already completed a job with him. Even though it was basically his first job, not counting a training job that he had done with Maki, Yuuta assisted Toge and helped the cursed user out before he found them both in a spot that they couldn’t get out of.
Maybe he would help Toge keep track of the flowers if he asked him to. He could take a day, Toge would take the next, and they would switch back and forth every other day. Or maybe he would even water the flowers with Toge and turn the time Toge spent watering them in half .
It would be nice to work with someone considering Toge was a solo sorcerer ever since he could be one. Yuuta handled being in hearing of Toge’s cursed speech better than other people, Toge had realized during their job together. Toge liked that and wished for someone like Yuuta to be with him.
Of course Yuuta was someone like Yuuta.
How would Toge ask him? Drag him by the sleeve and force a watering can into his hands? Write a note? Text it to him? Toge was nervous about the idea which was kind of strange for him. He was never afraid of messaging someone—even texting Satoru who used an equal amount of annoying emojis.
Toge? Nervous? It was strange. In his opinion it definitely didn’t fit his personality though maybe Yuuta’s presence made him—Toge didn’t know—softer?
“Toge!”
Toge jumped slightly. He turned his head and glanced over. His friend stood next to him, raising his very thin eyebrow at what Toge was holding. The cursed user looked at his hand and noticed the watering can tilted yet no water was coming out. It was empty.
“Oh,” Toge muttered under his breath. He stopped tilting the can. “Mentaiko.”
“You were overwatering them,” Panda said. “What were you thinking about?”
“Okaka,” Toge responded. He turned on his heal instead and began to walk away since he had been done with watering the plants for—however long he had been standing there thinking. Panda followed him.
“It was Yuuta, wasn’t it?”
Toge stopped and glared at Panda. He had always been good at reading him since the day that Toge met him. The cursed speech user had called him a ‘baby cub’ since he was just a tiny
panda
cursed doll at the time.
“I was just talking to him,” Panda said. He kept walking and elbowed him in the side as he was walking past. “Whatever you’re thinking I think you should get to know him.”
Toge cringed at the memory. It was the last time that he let himself get distracted with his thoughts—not cause he got caught, because he overwatered his plants. He flicked his wrist in the air so it hit Panda in the face. The other backed up, clapping a hand over his face as he frowned at Toge.
“Or that time I walked in on your guys’ first kiss—I still feel bad about that,” Maki said.
“Mentaiko,” Toge hissed through his teeth.
“You ready?” Yuuta asked, plopping down on the bed. He leaned his back against the backboard and messed with the blankets. “I love this movie. You seriously haven’t watched it?”
“Okaka,” Toge said.
They were getting ready to watch a movie. It was one that Yuuta brought up in conversation that Toge hadn’t seen. Yuuta begged him to plan a small movie date so that they could watch the movie and Toge happily agreed.
The cursed user yawned and stretched his arms over his head while he stood by his closet. Yuuta sat on the bed with a laptop in front of him. He picked it up and started to get their movie ready.
Toge changed into comfortable pajamas. A light purple t-shirt and white shorts. They were soft and comfortable. He crawled into the bed next to Yuuta and pulled his knees up, hugging them as he watched Yuuta mess around on the laptop. The other tapped around until he finally clicked on a movie and hit full screen.
“There,” Yuuta said. He fixed the position of the laptop and then leaned back. Pulling the covers he set them over the two of them. Toge let himself relax, leaning against Yuuta. He let his head rest on the other’s shoulder.
The movie was funny in the beginning. It got a few chuckles out of Toge. Every time that he did he felt Yuuta’s eyes on him. It made his heart flutter in his chest every time. What did Yuuta think of his laugh? Was it stupid? Or too loud?
Toge looked over at him during the movie to read his facial expression. Since he was leaned into Yuuta, Toge was just a few inches away from Yuuta’s face. There was enough light for Toge to read his face though. He looked a bit concentrated on the movie despite having seen it before. It was cute, Toge thought, how his face scrunched a little and his lips quickly shifted between a frown and smile.
It was only a matter of time for Toge to get caught. Yuuta looked over at him. He blinked a few times.
“What? Is there something on my face?” Yuuta asked in a small voice.
“Okaka,” Toge said, shaking his head. “Tuna.”
“Huh?”
Of course Yuuta didn’t understand. Not because he didn’t understand Toge, but because he wouldn’t think that Toge would even be trying to ask what he was.
“Tuna,” Toge repeated. He lifted his hand and tapped Yuuta’s lips and then his own.
“Oh.”
“Mhm,” Toge hummed. He couldn’t help but smile from how Yuuta’s eyes widened.
“Yeah,” Yuuta said, his voice getting quieter. He reached forward, grabbing Toge’s chin. “Yeah,” he whispered. He leaned closer which only made the hairs on the back of Toge’s neck stand.
Toge got ready to close his eyes—that’s what he had seen in movies. He didn’t know what to do with his hands. Fumbling around he nervously held on to the blankets and fisted them in his grab. He felt Yuuta’s lips lightly touch his and wanted to melt into the covers right then.
Kissing him. He was kissing Yuuta. It made him smile, and feel a little lightheaded, and make the illusion that his fingers were numb. Toge’s first kiss was with Yuuta and he wasn’t sure if he was falling into some teen hallucination about love that he was gonna regret but he was starting not to care.
“Hey, Toge, do you—“
Toge froze but Yuuta was able to pull his way and look toward the door. The hallway let light into the room and basically cast an embarrassing spotlight on them.
“Oh,” Maki muttered. She stood in the doorway, at first a bit surprised from what she had walked in on. Though she bit back a grin. “I’ll leave you to that then.”
“Ikura,” Toge cursed—it really had been the worst.
“It wasn’t that bad,” Maki said. “I left you guys alone. It’s not my fault if it killed the mood after.”
Toge smacked her on the arm.
“Ow!” Maki hissed but she didn’t hit him back. “Listen,” she said as she stood up from the couch. “Yuuta will be back soon.”
Instead of responding, Toge rolled his eyes with a sigh. Why were Maki and Panda even bringing up Yuuta? How was Maki even so sure that Yuuta would be back so soon? She sounded too confident.
He turned his attention to the T.V. and tried to tune out his friends—he did not want to call them friends anymore. Not when they stood behind him and teased him.
They eventually walked away to train—he should probably join them. He stopped sulking stood up with a sigh, leaving to follow the two outside.
“Are you ready, Inumaki?” Maki asked. She stood in her training clothes ready to fight.
Toge sighed. He was not ready, but was ready, to get his ass kicked by Maki. His training was a lot of taking a beating by anyone, a lot of the time it was Maki, so that he could prepare himself for if he was being beat senseless—which wasn’t actually that rare for him since a lot of his early jobs were his throat going sore after a few attacks. Even though he didn’t want to he nodded. He was ready or as ready as he was going to get.
Maki usually never took it easy but when Toge felt her elbow slam into his stomach and send him flying back he swore that she was holding back. His back hit the soft grass and he took advantage of enjoying the cushiony landing while he had it. A curse would slam him against concrete. The feeling of grass was nice.
Regardless of getting it easy—for some reason—he felt winded. He closed his eyes as he laid in the grass. Maki should treat him after their training. She should treat him after every training.
He opened his eyes to bring it up, possibly ask for her to take him out to dinner. Though he didn’t see Maki when he opened his eyes or even Panda who had been watching from the sidelines.
“Yuuta..?” Toge muttered.
Okkotsu Yuuta, the last second-year who was supposed to be overseas, stood over Toge staring down at him with a smile on his face—yet still looking terribly tired. Possibly even more tired than how he looked the last time that Toge had seen him.
The cursed user jumped up and tackled Yuuta down in the grass. He tightened his hold around the other’s neck nearly strangling him but not caring more than getting the recharge hug he had been missing for months.
Toge knew that he had to let go eventually. He backed up and held his hands on his shoulders. Looking between Yuuta, Maki, and Panda, Toge stuttered.
“Tuna—sujiko—tuna mayo—“ Since he was looking around it was enough for Yuuta to understand that Toge was asking when he had gotten back.
“I got back a few hours ago early this morning,” Yuuta said.
“Takana?” Toge asked, dragging a finger underneath his eyes to point to his own nonexistent eyebags to ask Yuuta about his.
“A little tired,” he admitted. “I got an hour or two of sleep.”
“Katsuobushi.”
“I’m sorry!” Yuuta apologized. “I tried getting sleep.”
“If you two are done having your own conversation while we’re just standing here—“
“Ikura—“ (Something along the lines of ‘Maybe go away then.’)
“—we’d like to get our little reunion plan started.”
Toge raised an eyebrow. “Tuna?” Everything had started to make sense—Maki breaking the unsaid ‘don’t talk about Yuuta while he’s away to not make Toge upset’ rule, her confidence that Yuuta would be back soon. She knew he was back.
Maki smiled. “You’ll see. Come on.”
They spent the day having lunch and catching up. Yuuta informed them on his job overseas which Toge just thought was completely unnecessary to drag him along with. From an explanation on Miguel’s skill set Toge thought that he could take on the job alone.
By the time they got home, after messing around going to shop after shop, it was already dark out. They snuck their way into the dorm rooms quietly knowing that the first-years were getting their well-deserved sleep.
Toge jumped on his bed after getting changed. He went to text back the people he had forgotten to during the way—it was just his father and something stupid from Satoru. There was a knock on his door that he was too busy to process what it was before he yelled out.
“Salmon!”
The door cracked open and a boy’s head popped in the doorway. Toge glanced up and met eyes with Yuuta and then smiled.
“Salmon,” Toge repeated, waving an arm for Yuuta to come in.
With a smile Yuuta made his way into the room. He closed the door behind him and stepped in with a laptop tucked under his arm. Jumping on the bed on his stomach, he opened the laptop.
“I was thinking we watch a movie. What do you think?” Yuuta asked.
“Salmon.”
Yuuta bit back a tiny yawn and crawled up further on the bed. He flipped to his back and laid his head in Toge’s lap. His laptop sat on his stomach and played the movie.
Toge ran his fingers through Yuuta’s hair which only made it harder for Yuuta to stay awake. He yawned and slapped his jaws. Lazily slapping at the other’s hands in his hair was a pointless effort. It made Toge chuckle.
“Tuna. Takana,” Toge whispered.
“Okaka—wait.” Yuuta blinked up at Toge. “I meant no.” He grinned. “Sorry, I speak Inumaki Toge.”
Toge scoffed and shook his head.
“Why? What are you gonna do? Curse me to sleep?” Yuuta teased.
Toge shrugged.
“You wouldn’t.”
Sighing, Toge leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. He brushed back the other’s hair from his face instead. No, he wouldn’t actually curse Yuuta to sleep but he would try other ways to make him sleep.
Yuuta sighed and let his eyes shut again. He shifted around a little, getting ready to sleep while trying to hide that he was but he was painfully obvious.
Staying awake didn’t last long for Yuuta. He was passed out after a few minutes. They probably didn’t even get twenty minutes into the movie.
Toge laughed quietly and the sighed. He leaned down and kissed the top of his head again.
It definitely wasn’t how Toge expected spending Yuuta’s first night back. He thought it would be more cuddling and less of Yuuta passing out from what was probably exhaustion. Though Toge didn’t really have an issue with it. Yuuta falling asleep or not, at least he was back.